Race bodes well for a Miller gold

VAL D'ISERE, France — The men's super-combined event scheduled for today might just be the most open race at the World Championships — and Bode Miller's best chance of a gold medal.

The American skier is one of the favorites to succeed Daniel Albrecht, the super-combi champion at the 2007 worlds who is currently in an induced coma in Austria after a horrific training crash.

It would also be Miller's first victory of a season marked by unpredictable results across the men's circuit.

Eighteen different men have won in the 26 World Cup events run so far, and the first two gold medalists at the worlds — Didier Cuche in super-G and John Kucera in downhill — were winless before arriving in the French Alps.

Miller won six times on his way to the overall World Cup title last season, including a super-combi in Val d'Isere last February over the same format of a shortened downhill run and a slalom leg.

The 31-year-old American had a midseason slump in slalom when he was hampered by an ankle injury, but has rediscovered his form with a pair of top-10 finishes in the past two weeks.

WOMEN'S DOWNHILL RACE RESCHEDULED FOR TODAY: At Val d'Isere, France, the women's downhill at the World Championships was postponed Sunday and rescheduled for today after up to 10 inches of snow fell on the Rhone-Alpes course.

Officials initially delayed the start for an hour, then two hours before deciding they couldn't hold the race off. Forecasts called for 4 inches of snow, but 10 inches fell in some spots on the course, making it too dangerous.

The women's race will be run today between the downhill and slalom runs of the men's super-combi.

KRAMER WINS THIRD-STRAIGHT GOLD: At Hamar, Norway, Sven Kramer won his third straight men's gold medal to match a feat last accomplished by Eric Heiden in 1979, and Martina Sablikova won her first women's title at the World Allround Speedskating Championships on Sunday.

Heiden, a U.S. speedskater regarded as the best man in history, won three straight beginning in 1977.

U.S. skaters Trevor Marsicano and Chad Hedrick, a former inline skater from Texas who led a 1-2 United States finish in the last worlds at Hamar in 2004, finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the men's event.

Kramer survived a tough challenge from Havard Bokko, who beat the Dutchman in the 1,500 meters on his home ice to set up a thrilling finale in the 10,000.

The Norwegian needed to beat Kramer by 4.40 seconds in the last race to win the overall. He held a clear lead for a while, but could not maintain the pace during the last few laps.

Kramer, the world-record holder, won the race in 13 minutes, 5.21 seconds, nearly six seconds ahead of Bokko. That gave Kramer 147.567 points in the two-day meet at the Viking Ship Olympic oval south of Lillehammer.