Miller takes third, then tough questions

Bode Miller's third-place finish wasn't the first thing some reporters wanted to discuss with the controversial skier yesterday.

Miller took a week off the World Cup circuit and played golf in Dubai before returning for yesterday's World Cup super-combi in Chamonix, France. During his break he was criticized for comments he made in Rolling Stone magazine implying performance-enhancing drug use by Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds.

Also, ESPN The Magazine reported this week that at least four members of the US ski team, including Miller, have traveled to Mexico to visit orthopedic specialist Milne Ongley, an 81-year-old man who has received praise for saving careers, but reportedly has been banned from practicing medicine in the United States.

''In no way was I trying to incriminate [Armstrong] or accuse him in any way of cheating," Miller said after finishing behind Austrians Benjamin Raich and Rainer Schoenfelder in the super-combi. ''The interview was pretty warped and pretty compressed to make it sound that way."

Miller said he hasn't spoken to Armstrong since, but would apologize if he saw him.

ESPN The Magazine reported that Ongley injects patients with the ''Ongley Solution," which he says is a mixture of 25 percent dextrose, 25 percent glycerin, 2.5 percent phenol, and distilled water. A 1992 California court ruling prohibited Ongley from saying his solution was accepted medically and was without risk.

Miller dismissed the magazine report as ''flagrant exaggerations of the press."

On the slopes, the 28-year-old Miller was back in form. Raich rallied from 17th to win in a combined time of 2 minutes 36.48 seconds for a downhill run followed by a slalom run. Miller finished in 2:37.47 for his third top-three result in the combined this season.

Giant win for Rienda

Maria Jose Rienda of Spain won her second giant slalom of the season, and American Julia Mancusco finished 10th in Ofterschwang, Germany.

Rienda, fastest in both runs, won in 2:19.52 and became the first skier to win the discipline twice this season.