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Named the fastest skier on the planet when he won the gold medal in the World Championship downhill in 2005, Bode (BO-dee) Miller became the first American in 22 years to win the overall World Cup title. He was also a star athlete to watch in the recent 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

Miller began his sports career as a state tennis champ and avid soccer player. A natural sportsman and risk-taker, Miller soon began turning his attention to the ski slopes of his home state of New Hampshire where he was born on October 22, 1977 in the rural town of Easton.

On the slopes, he is known for his daredevil style - sometimes dubbed downright ungraceful - but Miller continues to entertain crowds with his all-out attempt at endurance and speed, and remains one of the most exciting skiers to watch on the circuit today.

A first-rate bowler, he also appears at celebrity golf matches and was ranked one of the best athletes in the world by Men's Journal in 2003. The following year he made Outside Magazine's list of "Ultimate Bad Boys of the Outdoors."

Miller's winning time of 1:56.22 in the downhill at the 2005 World Championships makes him the only American in history to win the event. His downhill win was preceded by a gold medal win in the super G a week earlier, making him only the second man to win the double downhill and super G since legendary Austrian Hermann Maier in 2001.

Later in 2005, Bode Miller became the first American in 22 years to win the overall World Cup when he finished ahead of his only remaining challenger, Benjamin Raich of Austria, in the season's final giant slalom to capture the title.

The last Americans to win the overall championship were Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney in 1983.

One of skiing's most notorious party animals, Miller appeared typically unphased by the possibility of a big win in the 2006 Winter Olympics and made tabloid headlines when he admitted - in a January 2006 60 Minutes interview - to heavy drinking and occasionally "being wasted" while on the course.

During the Winter Olympic games in Torino, Miller was rumored to be partying late into the night before major events, and unfortunately failed to medal in any competition he entered.

To end the year, Miller exhibited a major comeback with a downhill victory on the Birds of Prey course in Beaver Creek, Colorado as well as multiple victories at the World Cup standings in Hinterstoder, Austria.

Kicking off 2007, he continued to exhibit his trademark daredevil style with a spectacular crash and slide across the finish line to win the downhill in Wengen, Switzerland. Although off his game for the overall season, Miller later ended it by capturing the Super-G in the the World Cup finals.

More news followed in May 2007 when it was announced that the ever-free-spirited Miller was quitting the USA team to become an independent skier.

Miller's roller coaster career was once again on track in early 2008 as he tied Phil Mahre for the most World Cup victories by a U.S. skier when he won the 78th Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen, Switzerland. Days later, he surpassed Mahre when he won the World Cup combined on January 20, making him the most successful U.S. ski racer with 28 World Cup victories.

Miller finished a remarkable season after his split with the US Ski Team by taking his second overall World Cup crown in March 2008.

More about Bode Miller around the Web:

bodelicious.net - Major fan site offering news updates and reports, pictures, photo gallery, bio, message forum, and an extensive collection of downloadable media including avatars, wallpapers, screen savers, video and audio files.

U.S. Olympic Committee - Bode Miller - A fast profile including a world record stats, picture gallery, interesting factoids on his career, related links to feature stories.

You Don't Know Bode - Newsweek cover story spotlighting the skiing maverick's outspoken stance against organized sport, with pictures and memorable sound bites on his Team USA sponsors, as well as the Olympics, his life and career.

also see in Sports Idols -> Jeremy Bloom

also see -> Skiing | Olympics | Olympic Alpine Skiing