WENGEN, Switzerland — Didier Defago of Switzerland won a World Cup downhill on the classic Lauberhorn on Saturday. Bode Miller, who had won this race the last two times, finished second and Marco Sullivan of the United States was third.

Defago finished in 2 minutes, 31.98 seconds on the 2.8-mile course, the ski circuit's longest and most demanding. Miller was 0.20 seconds behind.

Miller, the defending overall World Cup champion, is winless in 19 races. He's finished runner-up three times this season.

The 31-year-old Miller had a look of disappointment on his face after the race. He said he was still bothered by a left ankle injury sustained when he clipped a gate in the downhill last month in Beaver Creek, Colo.

"I couldn't get any speed in my left-foot turns," he said.

Defago won his second career World Cup and first in downhill. His previous win came in a super-G in 2002, and he had never been on the podium in a downhill.

Austria's Michael Walchhofer retained the lead in the downhill standings despite finishing 26th, while Miller climbed from sixth to second.

Benjamin Raich of Austria, who did not race Saturday, retains the lead in the overall standings.

The Lauberhorn was bumpy and hard in most places, although bright sunshine softened the snow in the opening sections.

"Over the days, it got a little bit uneven," said Marco Buechel, who was sixth. "The bumpier it is, the more tired you get. But Wengen is always a challenge no matter how the snow is."

The downhill marked a successful comeback for Canada's Jan Hudec, who injured his right knee in training on the Lauberhorn a year ago. The 27-year-old Hudec placed eighth, 1.25 behind Defago.

"It's an amazing start for me," Hudec said. "I'm really thrilled. It's a tough place to come back."