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Ligety Wins to Take GS Title

Fri 14th, March 2008

Bormio, Italy (Sports Network) - Olympic champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) joined Americans Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, NH) as an Audi FIS World Cup champion Friday. Ligety went out and put down the fastest second run to win the final giant slalom of the season, clinching the World Cup title. Vonn and Miller also clinched overall crowns on Friday.

Ligety's win capped a historic day for the U.S. Ski Team. Earlier, Vonn put down the fastest second run to move from 25th to 11th and clinch the overall. She had earlier won the downhill title. And Miller, the first run GS leader, clinched the overall.

It was the second time in history two Americans have won the overall World Cup. Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney won in 1983. Ligety's globe was the second U.S. GS title in four years after Miller won it in 2004 and was second in 2005 by a mere three points behind Austrian Benni Raich.

THREE BATTLE FOR TITLE IN FINAL RACE

Ligety had to hold off the veteran Raich and an upstart newcomer, Italian Manfred Moelgg, for the title. The Park City native skied to seventh on his first run and watched Moelgg, skiing before him in the second run, lose time on the bottom. Ligety held pace through the first two intermediate time checks, then destroyed the bottom of the Stelvio course to take a huge lead. Raich needed to beat Ligety by two places for the title, but lost it on the bottom to finish second. Miller, the first run leader, skied out on the bottom.

"The first run I skied okay, but not perfect," said Ligety. "It was more of a tactical race than me fully going after it. And then Raich took me down by almost three tenths and I knew I had to hammer down the second run.

"I was actually relieved that I had to throw it all on the line in the second run," he added. "Coming down when I crossed the finish line seven tenths ahead, I was stoked but I was also super nervous because I knew I had to wait a couple guys before he came down."

LIGETY TOOK "SPECTACULAR RISK" SAYS COACH

"Ted took spectacular risk to win this race and the globe," said Head Men's Coach Phil McNichol. "The best GS skier of the season won the globe. It was truly one of the more spectacular accomplishments I've ever seen."

Warm, spring conditions made the risk even higher for Ligety and the other challengers. "Everyone needed to go full gas to go for the win and the Cup," added McNichol. "Conditions were such that you could easily end up on the wrong side of the outcome. He actually risked a lot in the toughest part on the bottom."

"It was all about the win today for Ligety," said Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. "I can't even explain how exciting that race was the way the GS title lined out. It was an amazing race."

LIGETY FILES IN UNDER THE RADAR TO TAKE GLOBE

It was a sensational season for Ligety, who was second in the opening GS in Soelden, Austria back in October. He hid below the radar much of the year, with consistent top five results but no wins until last weekend in Kranjska Gora. He matched that win, the third of his career, to clinch the GS title. Outside of the GS in Adelboden, Switzerland, where he went out in the first run, he never finished lower than fifth and had four top three finishes.

"Going into the race today I was a little nervous having only a 27 point lead on Raich," said Ligety. "It was not very comfortable at all, being as strong of an athlete as he is."

What made the day tense for the U.S. Ski Team was just that - Raich is absolutely his toughest when it's all on the line. And he's a seasoned veteran taking on a newcomer to the World Cup title race in Ligety.

"The title's huge. It's sweet to have it, especially doing GS," said Ligety. "GS, in my mind, is the event that is a gauge for everything else. If you're good at GS, you can translate those skills. Bode's done that, Raich's done that and other guys have done that.

"To win the last two races is pretty crazy," Ligety added. "I thought I lost it half way through the year, and to come back and have a couple clutch races is pretty surreal.

"It definitely beats out my Olympic gold for sure."

The World Cup Finals close out Saturday with the men's slalom and women's giant slalom. Ligety will formally receive his World Cup crystal globe at a ceremony in the Bormio town square Saturday evening.

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