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Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal won a crash-strewn Super-G in Whistler to deny American ski showman Bode Miller a first Olympic gold medal.

The charging Miller, who was 11th out of the start hut on a bright and crisp morning, had to settle for the third silver of his career to become the first American to win four Alpine Olympic medals.

Team mate Andrew Weibrecht, who had started third, was a surprise bronze medallist on another good day for the US skiers who also have a gold and two silvers from two women's races.

The gold was the tall Svindal's second medal in a week after the overall World Cup champion nabbed silver in Monday's opening downhill ahead of third-placed Miller.

The Norwegian started 19th with Miller's time of one minute 30.62 seconds looking good for gold until then, and was faster by 0.28 to continue his country's domination of the event.

Norway, with now-retired Kjetil-Andre Aamodt in 2002 and 2006, have won the last three men's Olympic super-G races.

"I think I carried a lot of speed through Coach's Corner, I made a small mistake before that but managed to carry the speed and it worked out," Svindal said.

Miller said he had felt "stale and stagnant" as he approached the finish on tired legs.

"I was tired, you really had to grind out that last turn," he said. "I knew what I had to do. I had to get time at the top where it was icy and bumpy."

Weibrecht, in his first Games and without even a World Cup podium to his name, said he had been inspired by women's team mate Julia Mancuso who has won two silver medals in Whistler after a largely-anonymous season.

"To come out of obscurity and throw down the runs she has has been pretty encouraging and shown us we can do it," he said.

"I knew deep down I could do it, I've been knocking on the door all year."

The race had a lengthy delay when Sweden's Patrik Jaerbyn, the 29th starter and oldest man in the race, crashed heavily on the upper part of the slope.

The 40-year-old, competing in his fifth Olympics, lost his balance and flew through the air before landing on his back and then cartwheeling further and coming to rest limply on his side.

A team spokeswoman said he was conscious, suffering from mild concussion and bruises to his face.

Jaerbyn moved his hand as he was brought gently down the hill on a stretcher before being taken to hospital by helicopter.

Several others went out on the icy Dave Murray piste, including Canadian hopes Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Robbie Dixon. Italian Peter Fill smashed through the final gate and crossed the line without skis and on his chest.

Britain's Ed Drake finished 32nd, six places higher than in the downhill.

The 24-year-old, from Kingston-upon-Thames, said: "It was good fun today. It was really cool and I really enjoyed it. I skied some sections really well, but there were too many mistakes that's ski racing though.

"I didn't ski as well as I hoped to or wanted to, but I had some good turns in there. It's just a case of stringing them all together.

"It's no secret that these Games are not really where I'm looking to peak - it's definitely a springboard to the next Olympic Winter Games so I don't go there totally in awe of the occasion."

Factbox on Svindal:

Age: 27

Place of birth: Loerenskog, Norway

Residence: Kjeller, Norway

Previous major Olympic results:

Fifth, 2006 Winter Olympics, super-G

Sixth, 2006 Winter Olympics, giant slalom

Career achievements:

Gold medallist, 2009 World Championships, super combined

2x Gold medallist, 2007 World Championships, downhill, giant slalom

Silver medallist, 2005 World Championships, combined

Bronze medallist, 2009 World Championships, super-G

2x Champion, 2008/09, 2006/07 World Cup, overall

Champion, 2008/09 World Cup, super-G

2x Champion, 2006/07 World Cup, giant slalom, super combined

Champion, 2005/06 World Cup, super-G

Background:

Svindal's younger brother Simen competed in Alpine skiing at national level until 2007 and his mother Ina was on the European Cup B-team.

The 27-year-old Norwegian has suffered a string of injuries in his career. In 2002, a dislocated shoulder took several months to heal and he sat out the 2005/06 season due to knee injuries.

He missed the remainder of the 2007/08 season after a heavy fall in November left him with a broken cheekbone and nose, as well as lacerations to his face and buttocks.

In Norway, he was named 2009 role model of the year and 2008 male athlete of the year.

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Reuters