Bode Miller atop podium for 1st time in 2 years

Last Updated: Friday, January 15, 2010 | 10:28 AM ET

By Chris Iorfida, CBC Sports

Bode Miller clears a gate during the downhill portion Firday on the Lauberhorn course in Wengen. (Lukas Lehmann/Keystone/Associated Press)

Don't look now, but Bode Miller of the United States could be peaking just in time for the Vancouver Olympics after a long-awaited World Cup win on Friday.

Miller won the super-combined event Friday in Wengen, Switzerland for his 32nd career World Cup victory.

Miller maintained the lead he established after the downhill run with a time of 49.05 seconds in the slalom. Miller's overall time was two minutes 35.96 seconds.

The 32-year-old had not won a World Cup race since March 2008, with his previous best this season a fourth-place showing in the downhill at Beaver Creek, Colo.

He also set himself up nicely for Saturday's downhill on the Lauberhorn course. He won silver last year in the same downhill — his last podium finish before Friday — and he won the downhill the two previous years.

Miller is making a last stab at Olympic gold. He won two silver medals at the 2002 Olympics but had a disastrous showing at Torino four years ago, with just one top-five showing, a disqualification and two races he did not finish.

Carlo Janka and Sivlan Zurbriggen of Switzerland rounded out the podium finishers on Friday.

Janka made up a bit of ground in the overall World Cup standings on leader Benjamin Raich of Austria, who was fourth in Friday's event.

Raich has 689 points, Janka is next with 657 and Aksel Lund Svindal is third with 486 points. Svindal of Norway is eighth in the overall standings.

Ted Ligety rounded out a strong day for the United States, finishing fifth.

Ryan Semple of Montreal was the top Canadian, in 23rd place with a time of 2:39.62.

Manuel Osborne-Paradis of Vancouver and Quebec City's Louis-Pierre Helie did not complete both runs.