U.S. Skier Bode Miller Crashes in super-G

Six-time U.S. Olympic medalist skier Bode Miller has crashed out of the super-G at the world championships on Thursday.

Miller, 37, was leading by half a second midway through the run before his left arm hit a gate, causing him to spin backwards and crash. Miller lost both his skis and sustained a deep cut on his right calf. Am image of his cut can be viewed here.

After Miller stopped sliding down the slope, he got up and waited for someone to gather his skis. He then clicked his skis back on to finish the rest of the course, waving toward the crowd after he crossed the finish line. His wife, Morgan Miller and his two children were in the stands.

"He said his whole body really hurt. He said it felt like he got hit by a truck and he has this huge laceration on his calf. He said he's going to need like 100 stitches, it's a big cut," Travis Ganong said. "His ski hooked up and that pushed him into the gate a little bit and he caught his arm. He was a little unlucky. He was having an amazing run going for a medal. He was pushing harder than I've seen him push all year long and it was working."

This competition was Miller's first race since he underwent back surgery in November. Prior to this run, Miller said that he was ready.

"The preparation has gone about as well as it could have. Even though I didn't race, I had some pretty aggressive skiing in Wengen and Kitzbuehel on the race hill. I'm ready to race," said Miller. "I don't have sole decision-making power, but I'm comfortable racing the downhill and the super-G. I skied a little slalom the other day. It wasn't real pretty but my back held up fine, so potentially the super combined [downhill and slalom] would also be in there."

Miller was not the only skier to crash on this course at Beaver Creek, Colorado. A heavy favorite, Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud, crashed through a gate with his left shoulder but was able to keep going. He finished fourth. Austria's Hannes Reichelt won the super-G gold, his first ever in his career. He finished with a time of 1:15.68.

Miller is the most accomplished male skier in the history of the U.S.