LA DOLCE VITA

Summing Up Day 16

(Kevin Frayer - AP)

The expected skiing star of the Games disappointed his country yesterday, skiing off the course in the men's slalom.

He was touted as his nation's great hope in the weeks leading up to the Olympics, where much was expected of him.

And he failed. Spectacularly.

No, not Bode Miller. What made you think of Bode Miller?

Giorgio Rocca of Italy was to be his country's new Alberto Tomba. Those are big thighs to fill.

Instead, Rocca blew it. First skier out of the gate, and he crashed halfway down.

Three races, three DNFs -- chalet code for "did not finish."

Rocca's face is everywhere in Italy, including an anti-smoking campaign poster at the Main Media Center -- about three feet away from every smoking polizia in the country. (Smoking polizia , not smokin' polizia . There is a difference.)

Bode, too, had three DNFs -- including yesterday's, a mere 16 seconds into the race -- and two poor performances. He, too, was supposed to be his country's star. He, too, was plastered on billboards and magazine covers.

But there is where the similarity ends. Rocca is the Italian goat of the Games, and he knows it. But he offered no excuses yesterday.

"The snow was a little softer in that spot and I put too much pressure on the snow and I got thrown out," he told the Associated Press. "I didn't even have any time to react, I already had my face in the snow. It's too bad. I lost a great opportunity."

Apparently in Italy, ski team officials aren't afraid to point fingers, especially when their team is left without an Alpine medal for the first time since 1980.

"Three DNFs in a row. I don't even know how to describe it," head coach Flavio Roda said. "There certainly was a lot of pressure but I don't think it was only that. There was also a sense of responsibility to do something important at a home Olympics. All of our goals were washed away."

And then there is Bode. While Rocca faced his fate, Miller, as usual, skulked away from the media, and when caught by the Associated Press's Jim Litke, offered, well, they aren't excuses, really. I'm not sure what to call them. When I read them aloud in the office here yesterday, several usually skeptical staffers thought I was making them up. If I could make up stuff like this, I'd be working on my 10th novel.

· "I just did it my way. I'm not a martyr, and I'm not a do-gooder. I just want to go out and rock. And man, I rocked here."

· "The expectations were other people's. I'm comfortable with what I've accomplished, including at the Olympics. I came in here to race as hard as I could. That was my obligation to myself."

· "I've been living my life as if I might have died two weeks before the Olympics started. That left me the opportunity to dig deep, to go down that other route, to make more sacrifices and get back to where I was."

· "My quality of life is the priority. I wanted to have fun here, to enjoy the Olympic experience, not be holed up in a closet and not ever leave your room."

One of these skiers faced incredible pressure, failed, stood up and took the criticism, and made no excuses.

The other was Bode Miller.

MARIE REINE'S DAY: Champagne, a little black dress, and an attempt to frolic in a fountain, a la Anita Ekberg. Unfortunately, the fountain is frozen and Marie breaks a heel off her Prada pump.

-- Tracee Hamilton

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Me, it's been an awesome two weeks. I got to party and socialize at an Olympic level."

-- U.S. skier Bode Miller , after going an awesome 0 for 5 in Alpine events