KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — The way Bode Miller skis, vision is everything.

So it was somewhat surprising when the most decorated Alpine skier in U.S. ski team history revealed Tuesday that he needs Lasik eye surgery and regrets not having had it before the Olympics.

After dominating the training sessions, Miller finished a disappointing eighth in Sunday’s downhill race.

“I was supposed to get an eye surgery earlier this year,” said Miller, who has won five Olympic medals.

“We just never found the time to do it because the race schedule was so tight. We were pretty (upset) looking back on that that we hadn’t figured out a time to do that because for me, my vision is critical.”

The downhill training sessions were held in clear sunshine but clouds moved in for race day.

“When the light is perfect I can ski with any of the best guys in the world. When it goes out, my particular style suffers more than the guys who are more stable and sort of don’t do as much in the middle of the turns,” the 36-year-old Miller said after leading the opening training session for Friday’s super-combined race, in which he is the defending gold medalist.

 

TELEVISION: With both eyes reddened by an infection, NBC’s Bob Costas said he will sit out the network’s prime-time Olympics coverage for at least one night. “Today” show anchor Matt Lauer will take his place in Sochi.

Costas has been wearing glasses since the start of the Sochi Olympics because of an infection in his left eye. On Monday’s broadcast, it was apparent the infection had spread to his other eye.

 

SKATING: Four-time Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko drew the seventh spot for Thursday’s men’s short program at the Sochi Games.

Skaters prefer not to go early in the event, and three of the medals favorites landed in the 19th through 21st spots: Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, Spain’s Javier Fernandez and Canada’s Patrick Chan, a three-time world champion.

 

WOMEN’S HOCKEY: On a collision course to an almost-assured showdown in the gold-medal game, the United States and Canada will size each other up Wednesday in the preliminary round of the women’s hockey tournament.