KITZBUEHEL, Austria -- Bode Miller led a training session for the classic Hahnenkamm race by a huge margin on Thursday, leaving his World Cup rivals in awe just 17 days before the Sochi Olympics downhill. Miller was well ahead of the field from the first split time before finishing the challenging Streif course in 2 minutes, 2.93 seconds. Overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal came 0.96 back in second, while third-place Hannes Reichelt of Austria finished a massive 2.35 seconds behind the American. "Ive been focusing on this race all year," said Miller, who finished runner-up in 2008 and 11 but has yet to win the downhill in the Austrian resort. "I know its hard to win here. Ive put a lot of energy in being ready here ... And I think I had fast skis today, too. Obviously on this track you cant do much if your skis are not running." Last years winner Dominik Paris of Italy and Olympic downhill champion Didier Defago of Switzerland shared 10th, trailing Miller by 3.21 seconds. Canadas Erik Guay skipped the training run to rest his troublesome knee. The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., who leads Canada in career World Cup medals, underwent surgery in the summer to address a knee injury that bothered him at the end of last season. Conrad Pridy of Whistler, B.C., was the top Canadian in 24th. Manuel Osborne-Paradis of North Vancouver, B.C., was 25th, Ben Thomsen of Invermere, Que., was 39th and Morgan Pridy of Whistler was tied for 48th. Dustin Cook of Lac Sainte-Marie, Que., was 59th and Jeffrey Frisch of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was 60th. It was the only training run before Saturdays race after mild temperatures softened the snow and made runs earlier this week impossible. Organizers had to change the bottom part of the course to avoid the Hausbergkante, one of the marquee sections, where snow conditions were still insufficient. Miller mastered the steep upper section by choosing a different race line, allowing him to take more speed coming out of the Steilhang curve. "I was higher through the Steilhang and exited it much better than where the tracks were," Miller said. "The tracks were done before me, no one was up high where I was. That makes a huge difference. You cut off the line but you also carry speed onto the road." Miller drew praise from his competitors, who acknowledged they had been left with some homework before Saturdays race. "Bode was fantastic," Reichelt said. "My run wasnt great and I am definitely going to watch a video of Bodes run." His Austrian teammate Max Franz added "Bode had a very clean run. We have something to analyze." Christof Innerhofer, who is chasing his first downhill podium of the season, said he was unable to ski like Miller did. "He is crazy, he raced a killer line. I tried that line as well but I just didnt succeed," the Italian said. "I am not having a great season so far. But I felt well on the snow today and I want to attack here." Even Svindal, winner of two downhills and two super-G races this season, said he was going to study footage of Millers performance. "You know Bode can pull off that kind of thing," the Norwegian said. "When I think about my run, I am not surprised that someone can be a lot faster from the top. I wasnt able to stick to my plan because I got bumped out of my line. I have the speed but I need to clean up the first part. I will definitely watch Bodes run on video." The changed bottom section caused many racers troubles. Where they usually go right into the Hausbergkante coming off a fast straight part, they now faced a sharp left turn left. To Miller, it didnt make much of a difference. "Its a different set of skills thats tested," the American said. "The cool thing is no one skies that so its pretty even for everybody. No one has had a change to ever have a run like that so I think its OK." Saturdays race is the penultimate downhill before the Olympic race on Feb. 9. The Hahnenkamm event starts with a slalom Friday and concludes with a super-G and a super-combined race Sunday. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys .9 million deal Thursday. The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. Discount MLB Jerseys .3 million qualifying offer to outfielder Michael Cuddyer on Monday. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . Hicham Khalouas late goal improved Almerias chances of avoiding relegation in a match dominated by contentious calls, including three penalties. One day after Barcelonas 4-3 win at Real Madrid featured three penalties, referees again dominated a wide-open game that saw Almeria ultimately move out of the relegation zone and one point ahead of Getafe which took its place. Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys .com) - The Winnipeg Jets got over one hurdle by snapping their longest losing streak of the season. Clearance MLB Jerseys . - Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II says the NFL has told the team it will not be docked a pick in this years draft for coach Mike Tomlins foray onto the field against Baltimore last November. PITTSBURGH -- Barry Bonds spent a portion of Monday morning driving around Pittsburgh, marveling at the changes hes seen in the city since baseballs career home run king bolted for San Francisco more than two decades ago. He drove by his old apartment in the western suburbs and the reconfigured North Shore, where Three Rivers Stadium has been replaced by sparkling PNC Park. The makeover hasnt been limited to the scenery. After 21 years, it appears the old wounds surrounding Bonds abrupt departure have started to heal, too. Bonds drew a mixture of boos and cheers while presenting current Pittsburgh centre fielder Andrew McCutchen with the 2013 NL MVP award. Bonds was the previous Pirates player to win the honour, earning the second of his record seven career MVP trophies in 1992. Standing next to McCutchen, Bonds waved to the packed house and seemed at ease in his first public appearance in conjunction with the team where he starred from 1986-92 before leaving for San Francisco via free agency. "It feels good to be back where it all started," Bonds said. "We had some great times here." Bonds then sat in the stands and watched as the Pirates opened against the Chicago Cubs. Bonds won the 1990 and 1992 MVP awards while playing for the Pirates from 1986-92 and led the team to three straight NL East titles. Each playoff trip, however, fell short of the World Series, most notably a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Braves in the 1992 NL championship series that ended when Bonds throw from left field failed to stop Atlantas Sid Bream from scoring the seriees-clinching run.dddddddddddd He left for San Francisco and a then-record six-year, $43-million deal two months later, where Bonds eventually broke Hank Aarons record for career home runs, finishing with 762 before leaving after the 2007 season. Bonds declined to draw any comparisons between himself and McCutchen, who easily won the MVP award last season a year after finishing third in the voting. "Hes got the formula now," Bonds said. "Once you do it once, I expect you to do it again." Bonds was joined by a familiar face as the Pirates put the finishing touches on a breakout 2013 when they won 94 games and made it to the NL division series. Former manager Jim Leyland presented current skipper Clint Hurdle with his NL Manager of the Year Award and credited Hurdle for helping turn the franchise around. After spending years watching his former club serve as a laughingstock, Leyland is confident the Pirates are back. "Theyre the real deal now," Leyland said. "They should be here for a long time." And while he steered clear of the politics surrounding Bonds place in baseball history, Leyland left no doubt about whether Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame. Bonds fell well short of the 75 per cent threshold required for induction during his second year of eligibility, with many voters saying they wouldnt put him in because of the steroids cloud. "In my opinion, Barry Bonds is a Hall of Fame player," said Leyland, who managed the Pirates from 1986-96 and is now retired. "Theres no doubt about it." ' ' 'k it is really up to the individual." ' ' '