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Bode Miller and wife address drowning of 19-month-old daughter

Bode Miller and his wife, Morgan Beck Miller, addressed the tragic drowing of their 19-month daughter, Emeline, in a neighbor’s swimming pool in June in an interview Monday on NBC’s “Today” show.Jure Makovec/AFP/Getty Images

Former Olympic alpine skier Bode Miller had reached several pinnacles throughout his career. The six-time Olympic medal winner made US skiing history across six events before his retirement in 2017.

But Miller, a native of Easton, N.H., and his wife, Morgan Beck Miller, had their lives tragically altered in June when their 19-month-old daughter, Emeline, drowned in a neighbor’s swimming pool in the Orange County (Calif.) community of Coto de Caza.

For the first time since their devastating loss, the couple addressed the tragic accident in a taped interview with NBC’s “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, which will air on Monday, July 30.

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“I can attest from first-hand experience that it’s unbelievable quick and it’s unbelievable sneaky,” Bode said in the interview. “You’d think it’d be, like some weird circumstance or some strange thing. And it’s not.

“It just happens in the blink of an eye.”

Miller and his wife chose to speak out now to increase awareness about how drowning is one of the most common deaths among young children. Their interview comes in an effort to help families realize how fast tragedy can strike.

“It’s one of those things where, as a parent now,” Morgan said, “when you go to someone else’s house, survey the home to see if it’s a safe place for your child to be.”


Dan can be reached at dan.shulman@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielRShulman.