ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (Feb. 2) - Four-time World Champion and Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) blasted through thick fog to win the final Audi FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom before the Olympics by a massive 1.51 second margin over Marcel Hirscher of Austria. Ligety masterfullly arced to a 1.28 second first run lead, then didn't hold back in the bumpy final to claim the wire-to-wire win, the 21st of his career. Universal Sports Network will broadcast the race at 1 p.m. ET.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Four-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) won the final giant slalom before the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
- Ligety powered to a 1.28 second first run lead and added to it in the final to win his 21st World Cup (20th in GS) by a massive 1.51 second margin.
- Fog caused havoc in St. Moritz, delaying the final by 30 minutes and creating delays within the race.
- The 2014 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony is Feb. 7. Ligety's first competition is likely to be the super combined on Feb. 14.
- Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV) also made the final and finished 17th. Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) did not finish the first run.
- Austrian Marcel Hirscher, who leads both the World Cup overall and giant slalom points, was second.
- The race will air at 1 p.m. ET on Universal Sports Network.
QUOTES
Ted Ligety
That was a bumpy ride. It's so tough when you can't see anything; it just makes it that much more tiring. That was a hackfest battle, for sure, so I'm glad that I was actually able to make it to the finish line, let alone win.
Generally the way I ski is a little bit rounder than everybody else. I try to make smoother, cleaner turns and not worry about the distance so much. I think when it's like this and it's so hacked up, that plays well for me because I kind of avoid some of those bigger holes. So, yeah, I was just lucky that I was able to make it down though too.
Nice to get another good race in and confirm where I am in GS on an actual race, not just have training, and then hopefully I can carry that confidence over the next couple weeks.
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