Bode Miller will miss the upcoming World Cup races at Beaver Creek next month because of outpatient back surgery scheduled Monday in San Diego.
Miller has been bothered by a degenerative disc and skipped the season-opening giant slalom last month in Soelden, Austria, hoping rest would ease his pain. The surgery is similar to what Tiger Woods had last year, and Miller hopes to be back in time for the classic downhills of the World Cup season in January at Kitzbuehel, Austria, and Wengen, Switzerland.
He also hopes to race in the world championships at Beaver Creek, Feb. 2-15. Miller is the only racer on the U.S. Ski Team who competed the last time worlds were held at Beaver Creek in 1999. At age 37, Miller will be one of the oldest on the World Cup this season, assuming he returns.
“My back is always a concern,” Miller said earlier this month while training at Copper Mountain. “It’s been an issue since I was in my early 20s. Degenerative back stuff is something every athlete and every human being deals with, we’re still working from ourquadruped (evolutionary) days.”
After claiming a bronze medal in super-G at the Sochi Olympics last February — his sixth Olympic medal — Miller had a bad crash in downhill training at the World Cup finals. Miller said the crash “blew out” a disk in his lower back. He had been trying to manage the injury with physiotherapy and rest before opting for surgery.
The Beaver Creek races — downhill, super-G and giant slalom — are scheduled Dec. 5-7.
“Bode’s planned outpatient surgery is typical for this diagnosis,” said U.S. Ski Team medical director Kyle Wilkens. “His return to training will be based on the extent of the surgery. We’ll work with Bode, medical team, and his coaches to determine the best course of action for him.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616, jmeyer@denverpost.com or
