Bode gets ‘Super Sunday’ rolling with gold; death of Canada skater’s mom dims big day

Bode golden on sadness-tinged ‘Super Sunday’

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Bode Miller looked at the camera, smiled and shrugged. Even he couldn’t believe this.

Miller won the first gold medal of his Olympics career on Sunday, taking the super-combined with plenty of flair — roaring back from seventh after the downhill with a blazing slalom run.

That’s not the easy way of doing it, but it was quite fitting for a guy who revels in being unconventional, like partying away his medals chances at the last Winter Olympics and skipping training last summer while pondering retirement.

With a medal of each color after three races, Miller is one of the feel-good stories of the Vancouver Games.

“The level I skied at is at the very top,” he said. “It feels amazing.”

Miller bumped the U.S. medal count to seven gold and 24 overall, easily leading all countries. One more medal and the Americans will match the 25 they won in 2006, their most at a Winter Olympics not held at home.

Across Vancouver, bars, restaurants and streets were packed Sunday, mainly because of the U.S.-Canada hockey game the host country has been anticipating for years. With a trio of rivalry games at Canada Hockey Place, and six medals handed out elsewhere, the day was dubbed “Super Sunday.”

However, it got off to a sad start with Joannie Rochette — Canada’s best hope for a medal in women’s figure skating — learning that her 55-year-old mother died of a massive heart attack.

In the afternoon, Rochette wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before stepping onto the ice for practice, then blinked hard during her first few laps around the rink. She’ll remain in the event, which starts Tuesday, “to fulfill the goal they had together,” said Rochette’s agent, David Baden.

In other events decided Sunday, Germany’s Magdalena Neuner won her second gold medal of these games in biathlon and Switzerland’s Michael Schmid won the Olympics debut of men’s skicross, a cousin to the NASCAR-on-ice snowboarding race featuring four racers charging through a winding course filled with jumps.

SUPER-COMBINED

Once Miller took over the lead, he had to wait out six challengers. The last was Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, who finished a spot ahead of Miller in the super-G and the downhill.

When Svindal pulled up midway through the race, that was it. Miller tied the record for most Alpine medals won by a man at a single Winter Olympics (first since Norwegian great Kjetil Andrea Aamodt in 1994) and his five career medals are second only to Aadmodt among men’s Alpine skiers.

“It’s going to be hard for me go keep doing this,” said Miller, who could still have two events left. “This is incredibly emotionally exhausting.”

Defending champion Ted Ligety jumped from 15th to fifth with the fastest time in the slalom. Unfortunately for him, there was only one slalom leg this time, after two in Turin.

SKATER’S MOTHER

Joannie Rochette — a six-time Canadian champion who won a silver medal at last year’s world championships — has been in Vancouver since the opening ceremony. Her mother, Therese, and father, Normand, arrived Saturday from their home in Montreal.

After visiting Canada House, the couple went to the apartment where they’re staying. Normand Rochette later found his wife passed out and, when he was unable to revive her, took her to Vancouver General, the agent said.

Normand broke the news to his daughter early Sunday at the Olympic village, Canadian officials said.

“It’s a tragedy. I’m sort of in shock by it,” said Canadian figure skating great Brian Orser, who got to know Rochette’s parents while touring with her in a skating show. “I’m proud of her that she is continuing to compete because she’s a great competitor and she’s in great shape. And she’s skating for the right reasons.”

SKICROSS

For an unpredictable sport, the first men’s winner wasn’t much of a surprise. Schmid was the top-ranked World Cup rider this season.

But the final did have one of its trademark wipeouts, with Canada’s Chris Del Bosco, winner of the Winter X Games last month, going down hard on the next-to-last jump.

Americans Casey Puckett and Daron Rahlves were eliminated in the first round of the four-man heats.

CURLING

The U.S. women’s curling team lost to Canada after winning their previous two matches. The Canadians are 5-0, but have had some tight matches. They looked dominant, winning 9-2 in a shortened match.

The Americans were to face defending champion Sweden later Sunday.

BIATHLON

Neuner overcame two missed shots to win the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start. This gold will go nicely with the gold she won in the 10K pursuit and her silver in the 7.5K sprint.

In the men’s 15-kilometer mass start race, World Cup leader Evgeny Ustyugov of Russia took the gold. Tim Burke failed again to end the American biathlon drought, finishing 18th.

COSTUME CONTROVERSY

There have been some alterations to the Aboriginal-themed costumes worn by world ice dance champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia — at least in practice Sunday.

The skin tone of their bodysuits have gone from brown to flesh-colored. Some white markings are less visible. He’s still wearing a loin cloth, and both have leaves and white ropes.