Ligety USOC’s October Athlete of the Month

COLORADO SPRINGS (Nov. 7) – 2013 U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) opened the 2014 calendar exactly how he did last season – by winning the USOC Athlete of the Month award for October thanks to his victory at the FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom opener in Soelden, Austria. Ligety opened the World Cup season by winning the men’s giant slalom by .79 of a second. With the 18th World Cup win of his career, Ligety became the first racer ever to earn three consecutive victories in the 20-year history of the Soelden FIS World Cup. The win also marked his sixth straight podium in Soelden. Ligety has been named USOC’s Athlete of the Month four times in the last year and was named USOC’s Athlete of the Year for his outstanding performance at the 2013 Alpine World Ski Championships in Schladming, Austria.

HIGHLIGHTS

• On Thursday, World Cup giant slalom champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) was named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s October male athlete of the month thanks to his victory at the FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom opener in Soelden, Austria.
• Ligety opened the World Cup season by winning the men’s giant slalom by .79 of a second.
• With the 18th World Cup win of his career, Ligety became the first racer ever to earn three consecutive victories in the 20-year history of the Soelden FIS World Cup. The win also marked his sixth straight podium in Soelden.
• Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per discipline. A voting panel selects the winners from the pool of nominees with online fan voting via Twitter accounting for 10 percent of the total vote.
• Paralympic track & field athlete Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, MD.) was named as the USOC’s female Athlete of the Month, while the beach volleyball team of Kerri Walsh Jennings (Saratoga, CA.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, CA.) received Team of the Month honors.
• Ligety has been named USOC’s Athlete of the Month four times in the last year, including last October after his giant Soelden win.
• He was also named USOC’s Athlete of the Year for his outstanding performance at the 2013 Alpine World Ski Championships in Schladming, Austria.
• Tomorrow, Friday Nov. 8, the 2014 U.S. Alpine Ski Team will be named during Nature Valley First Tracks at Copper Mountain. For more information on Nature Valley First Tracks, click here.

RECIPIENTS & NOMINEES
FEMALE

1. Tatyana McFadden, Paralympic Track & Field
2. Simone Biles, Gymnastics
3. Margaux Isaksen, Modern Pentathlon

MALE

1. Ted Ligety, Alpine Skiing
2. Shani Davis, Speedskating
3. Travis Stevens, Judo

TEAM

1. Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, Volleyball
2. U.S. Men’s Recurve Team, Archery
3. Americas Championship Team, Wheelchair Rugby