The Associated Press
The United States four-man bobsled USA-1, piloted by Todd Hays (front), speeds down the track during Friday's heats.

Team USA aims higher

Hays, Miller hope to add to medal total

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published Saturday, February 23, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Olympics might be winding down, but the U.S. medal count is still climbing and the Americans have a chance to add to the total today.

Along with Seattle native Apolo Anton Ohno, the short track speedskating star, Alpine skier Bode Miller and bobsled pilot Todd Hays should contend for medals.

Miller, who rallied for silvers in the combined and giant slalom, will try to become the first American to win three Alpine medals in a career, let alone the same Olympics.

"If I can come down and feel like I raced a really great race in the slalom, I think I'll have a gold," he said. "I have a better chance in slalom because my speed puts me ahead of a lot of guys. I can make mistakes and still win."

He knows plenty about making mistakes.

Miller goes all-out, an aggressive style that caused problems for the 24-year-old New Hampshire skier early in his career. This season, he channeled his recklessness into a winning form.

"He has a crazy style in skiing," said Stephan Eberharter, the Austrian who won the giant slalom. "But he is fast, and that's what counts."

Hays will try to break a 46-year bobsled drought for the American men. It would be easy to say the pressure of getting the first U.S. medal since 1956 is off, since Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers won the women's race.

Hays doesn't see it that way.

"It's still our job to break the streak," said Hays who missed bronze in the two-man by .03 seconds. "Men haven't won in 46 years. The women did a wonderful job. Let's hope we can do the same thing."

Brian Shimer, the driver of Team USA's other sled, agrees.

"I told everybody, 'The women won, no pressure on us now,"' said the 39-year-old, who is retiring after his fifth Olympics and has an outside shot to medal. "But no, that's not the case, not at all, and nobody's going to see it that way."

This season, Miller became the first American skier to win a World Cup giant slalom since Washington native Phil Mahre in 1983. The next day, he became the first American to win a slalom since Steve Mahre that season.

Miller says the possibility of making history as the first U.S. skier with three medals isn't anything to get too excited about.

"That means Americans have had bad luck in the Olympics because we've had people capable of that," he said.

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