The two most decorated active speed racers will make their season debuts in the World Championships super-G scheduled for Wednesday in Beaver Creek, Colo.
Bode Miller and Aksel Lund Svindal, who own a combined 22 Olympic and Worlds medals, deemed themselves ready to return from fall surgeries following the first downhill training run Tuesday afternoon.
Miller will start in the super-G, according to the U.S. Ski Team. Miller, 37 and a six-time Olympic medalist, has only taken part in training runs since November back surgery.
“Between here and the training I’ve done recently, they [coaches] have confidence that I have the speed to be a viable threat for the medals, which, I think, that’s why we’re all here,” Miller told reporters after training Tuesday afternoon.
The Norwegian Svindal has been out since rupturing an Achilles tendon playing soccer in October.
“I’m going to race,” the Norwegian Svindal said on Eurosport. “I have nothing to lose.”
Svindal’s countryman, Kjetil Jansrud was the fastest in training Tuesday, confirming his favorite status for both Wednesday’s super-G and Saturday’s downhill. Svindal and Miller were both more than one second behind Jansrud.
“I was a little nervous,” Svindal said on Eurosport. “It’s been a long time for me since I was on a downhill course. ... It was a big step. Parts were kind of good, but some parts were horrible. ... For a first attempt in a long time, it was not so bad. Could’ve been worse.”
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