Oops, he did it again! A day after celebrating his first World Cup victory in a giant slalom at Val d'Isere, America's Bode Miller won his second consecutive race in Madonna di Campiglio where he again dominated his rivals after two very aggressive runs.

Clocking the best time in both runs, Miller beat by more than half a second Italy's Giorgio Rocca and by 91/100 the 1997 World Champion, Norway's Tom Stiansen.

Jean Pierre Vidal, 3rd in Aspen last month, reached a strong 4th place ahead of the 1999 World Champion Kalle Palander from Finland. Benjamin Raich, 5th, was the best skier from a defeated Austrian team which took the top-3 places here last year. It's Ben's first slalom finish this season. The defending slalom World Cup champion has been suffering from serious back pains for several weeks now.

His teammate Mario Matt, the winner in Aspen and in Madonna last season, only reached a far 20th place, losing over two seconds on Miller, the new leader in the slalom standings.

Croatia's Ivica Kostelic, the winner in Aspen, confirmed his form with a good 10th place. Five French skiers scored points today, including the 22-year-old Stephan Tissot, from Megeve, who competed in his first World Cup slalom. He reached an impressive 11th place, 3/100 ahead of his teammate Pierrick Bourgeat, the double winner from Japan last March.

Two other US skier also did well in this night slalom held in front of thousands of excited spectators: Paul Puckett was 15th despite many mistakes and Erik Schlopy 24th.

Miller's on Tomba's Track
Only a few top skiers in the past have achieved Miller's performance and triumph within two days in both technical events. Among them such superstars as Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark, Italy's Alberto Tomba and the 1976 Olympic Champion Piero Gros. In December 1972, Piero was only 18 years old when he won his first race at Val d'Isere after starting in 45th position and then, a week later, the slalom in Madonna di Campiglio.

Despite his 2nd place in Aspen, Miller was not a favorite before this classical race which belongs since 1967 to the World Cup calendar. His slalom records were not very positive at the eve of this Italian competition with only four World Cup finishes in 35 starts since 1999. But apparently the spectacular skier from Franconia, New Hampshire, has become very consistent. For sure he also gained great confidence with his success on Sunday which helped him to take many risks down the demanding "Miramonti" course.

Starting in 25th position after the first run, he set the best time with 13/100 of a second advance on Rocca already followed by Stiansen and Vidal. All four skiers wore higher numbers and took advantage of the better course conditions.

Later on in the night, Miller improved his lead over Rocca despite a more damaged course while Palander moved up from 15th to 5th place.

20 Years After Phil Mahre
As in Val d'Isere, Miller became the first US athlete since the legendary Phil Mahre to excel in Madonna. The 1984 Olympic Champion won that race by beating the great Stenmark in 1981 - 20 years ago! Phil's brother Steve was the last US male to win a World Cup slalom back in 1983 in St. Anton.

The 24-year-old US champion remained pretty cool after his latest triumph. He was quite happy, yet not really surprised by his success.

"I have been pretty lucky recently but I've known for a long time that I can ski fast in slalom, too," he said. "In Aspen, I made too many mistakes in both races, but here I had two solid runs. It was great fun with this crowd; I like this atmosphere. Ski racing is big in Europe! I attacked in both runs, I was not nervous, it was very exciting. I'm having a great time here."

On the podium, Miller also received the red bib of the leader in the slalom standings, but he is not thinking so much about any World Cup title at this moment. "The season is long and right now, I want to enjoy each race. In February, I will start to think about the Olympics. I'll for sure go for it in Salt Lake City," Miller said.

Four Races in Four Days
A four-event skier, Miller took part in his fourth race in four specialities since last Friday. Next weekend, he plans to race in two downhills in Val Gardena and in a giant slalom at Alta Badia.

His physical shape and his relaxed attitude could help him to become a tough rival for Austria's Stephan Eberharter in the Overall Standings. Other favorites, such as the Norwegians Kjetil Aamodt and Lasse Kjus, Overall winners in the 1990s, are struggling right now. Aamodt was 7th in this race while Kjus didn't qualify for the second run.

Interestingly enough, none of Bode's rivals was really upset or amazed by his most recent performances. "It's a long time now that we have realized his potential," said Raich. "He has often been very fast, but skied out. Now he finishes his races - to win them."

Giorgio Rocca and Tom Stiansen also enjoyed a nice evening even without a victory. The Italian confirmed his strong comeback in taking another 2nd place after his good result in Aspen. The Norwegian at his side achieved his best performance in a long time. After clinching the World Title in 1997, he only once reached the podium, in March 1998, before injuring himself in a crash in a giant slalom race at Alta Badia. This excellent result boosts his chance to compete in the coming Olympics in February.

The men's World Cup tour moves now to Val Gardena, in the nearby Province of Alto Adige, where two downhills are scheduled for Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, Bode could write history in becoming the first US skier to win the tough giant slalom in Alta Badia.

— Patrick Lang, MountinZone.com Correspondent