Ligety wraps up World Cup GS title
KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP)
Ted Ligety of the United States won his fifth giant slalom of the season Saturday to clinch the World Cup discipline title with a race to spare.
US ATHLETES TO WATCH
The Winter Olympics in Sochi are just a year away. See which American athletes to watch as we count down to the Games.It's his fourth GS title after winning in 2008 and 2010-11. He also successfully defended his GS title at the world championships last month.
"To win here again is a super cool feeling," said Ligety, who has won in Kranjska Gora five times and been on the podium every year since 2008. "I am really proud of that."
Ligety held his first-run lead to win in 2 minutes, 35.43 seconds for his 16th career victory, all in GS.
He established an insurmountable 125-point lead over Austria's Marcel Hirscher, who was 0.45 behind in second.
"It's a big weight off my shoulders," Ligety said. "I had an awesome, awesome season but Hirscher was there all the time. Even if I beat him by three seconds, he was still in second place. That makes it tough going for the title. It becomes kind of a head game when he is so close all the time. So I am pretty psyched to have it locked up now."
Ligety has finished on the podium in all seven GS races this season and became the first man to achieve that feat since Michael von Gruenigen of Switzerland in 1995-96.
Alexis Pinturault of France was third, 0.77 behind, and Felix Neureuther of Germany was fourth, 0.81 off Ligety's time. Ligety led Hirscher by 0.60 after the opening run, in which the Austrian placed fourth.
In the overall standings, Hirscher extended his lead to 69 points over Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, who finished sixth.
Rain made for difficult conditions during the final run on a course that was soft by days of mild temperatures.
"Racing in the rain is not my favorite thing," Ligety said. "I grew up in Park City, Utah, where it's usually warm and sunny. These are totally different conditions."
"The snow is really soft," Ligety said. "It's hard to keep your edge in the snow well. It didn't feel good at all. This is a very difficult course set, especially for how the snow is running. It was tough to have a good feeling."
The course for the first run was set by Austrian slalom coach Michael Pircher. He designed numerous sharp turns, an unusual feature for a GS and one that didn't benefit Hirscher.
"I don't know why it didn't go better," said Hirscher, who beat Ligety for the GS title last season. "My feeling was OK, but obviously it wasn't good. It's hard to tell, it's a mystery to me."
A men's World Cup slalom on the same course is scheduled for Sunday. The last GS of the season is next Saturday at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
Related Stories
Trending Now
-
Sergio sorry for 'fried chicken' line
Sergio Garcia apologized to Tiger Woods for saying he would have ''fried chicken'' at... -
Long history of Tiger-Sergio squabble
The nearly 15-year squabble between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia has reached a new l... -
Canseco accused of sexual assault
Las Vegas police are investigating a woman's allegations that former baseball player ... -
Ex-Bears LB Brian Urlacher retires
Star linebacker Brian Urlacher says he's retiring after spending 13 seasons with the ... -
Teen strangled by dog lead
A Kentucky high school football player known as a "jokester" was strangled by a dog l...
OLYMPIC VIDEOS
Olympian charged with murder
Olympian and Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius arrested and charged in shootin...
Roundtable: Improving the Olympics
FOXSports.com's Christian Laettner, Dominique Dawes, Maurice Greene and Amy Van ...
Roundtable: Who's the star of USA Basketball?
Who will be the star of USA Basketball? Maurice Green, Amy Van Dyken and Billy W...
Remarkable Moments: Olympics Day 16
FOXSports.com's Christian Laettner shares Day 16's Remarkable Moments.
Inside Edge: USA - Spain Recap
Christian Laettner recaps Team USA's Gold-medal win over Spain.
Headlines
- Report: Coach K back for Team USA
- Report: Phelps plans comeback for Rio 2016
- Surprise! US star Raisman drug tested before TV show
- NHL confident players will go to Sochi Olympics in 2014
- Tiger, Vonn dress to the nines at NYC gala
Fox Sports Store
| itemName | itemURL | imageSrc | price | itemDescription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA Swimming White Dive T-shirt | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616903/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616903_xl.jpg&w=100 | 17.95 | USA Swimming White Dive T-shirt |
| USA Swimming Navy Blue Splash T-shirt | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616928/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616928_xl.jpg&w=100 | 17.95 | USA Swimming Navy Blue Splash T-shirt |
| USA Swimming Ladies White Dive Slim Fit T-shirt | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616940/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616940_xl.jpg&w=100 | 18.95 | USA Swimming Ladies White Dive Slim Fit T-shirt |
| USA Swimming Ladies Navy Blue Splash Slim Fit T-shirt | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616959/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616959_xl.jpg&w=100 | 18.95 | USA Swimming Ladies Navy Blue Splash Slim Fit T-shirt |
| USA Swimming Light Blue Swimmer T-shirt | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616971/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616971_xl.jpg&w=100 | 17.95 | USA Swimming Light Blue Swimmer T-shirt |
| Team USA 2012 Winter Olympic Games Innsbruck T-Shirt - Navy Blue | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA/browse/featuredproduct/685844/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_685000/ff_685844_xl.jpg&w=100 | 22.95 | Team USA 2012 Winter Olympic Games Innsbruck T-Shirt - Navy Blue |
| USA Curling Dare T-Shirt - Ash | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Curling/browse/featuredproduct/697577/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_697000/ff_697577_xl.jpg&w=100 | 18.95 | USA Curling Dare T-Shirt - Ash |
| USA Curling Dare T-Shirt - White | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Curling/browse/featuredproduct/697578/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_697000/ff_697578_xl.jpg&w=100 | 18.95 | USA Curling Dare T-Shirt - White |
| USA Curling House T-Shirt - Ash | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Curling/browse/featuredproduct/697581/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_697000/ff_697581_xl.jpg&w=100 | 18.95 | USA Curling House T-Shirt - Ash |
| USA Curling House T-Shirt - White | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Curling/browse/featuredproduct/697582/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_697000/ff_697582_xl.jpg&w=100 | 18.95 | USA Curling House T-Shirt - White |

Member Comments
Please note by clicking on "Post comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Use and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Be Polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator.