KVITFJELL, Norway — Bode Miller skied a near-flawless run today to win a World Cup downhill by 0.40 seconds over Didier Cuche of Switzerland.

The American went down the Olympic course in 1 minute, 46.16 seconds. Werner Heel of Italy, who won yesterday's downhill for his first World Cup victory, finished third.

Cuche, the defending World Cup downhill champion, was a distant runner-up in a race where often only a few hundredths of a second separate skiers.

Miller increased his lead in the overall standings over Cuche and closed in on him in the downhill standings.

Miller, second in yesterday's downhill, became the fourth winner from the United States at Kvitfjell since Tommy Moe won a gold on the same hill during the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.

The other two Americans — Marco Sullivan and Steven Nyman — both crashed into a safety net coming into the final turn. Both were unhurt. Sullivan, who won his first World Cup downhill in late January, also crashed in Friday's race.

It was the third downhill victory of the season for Miller, who in 2005 became the first American since Phil Mahre in 1983 to win the men's overall title.