Vintage Ligety storms to win in Beaver Creek
Ted Ligety showed the true mark of a champion as he came from fourth
after the first run in the second Beaver Creek Giant Slalom to win.
Ligety was a man on a mission as he put in a blistering second run
to not only win the race but also become the most successful
American in Giant Slalom with his tenth World Cup Giant Slalom race
win. Kjetil Jansrud continued the rich vein of form of the HEAD
World Cup rebels by holding on to third in the race. Marcel Hirscher
took second place.
The temperature may have been cold but the bright sunshine and the
racing soon had people warmed up. After a first run that had seen
three HEAD racers in the top five spots with Aksel Lund Svindal
leading Kjetil Jansrud and Ligety in an assault on the leaderboard.
Didier Cuche in his 350th World Cup race spanning 18
years was up there challenging the new breed of racers as well! The
first run was taken by the rising French star Alexis Pinturault with
Hirscher in second before the Rebels packed the leader board.
The second run belonged to Ted Ligety. After the disappointment of
losing out on Sunday, Ligety admitted after the race that he was on
the edge on the second run especially: ““The
second run I was definitely skiing with a lot more intensity and a
little more anger,” Ligety said. “Sunday I was hoping to get the win
there in front of a bunch of friends and family but Hirscher skied
great that day. Today I wanted some redemption. I pushed super,
super hard that last run. It was pretty close to the limit there.”
Many of his fans had gone
home after the first race but Mum and Dad hung around to see the
win!
With just three hundredths separating places two to four after the
first run, Ligety, in fourth place, was in an unaccustomed position:
“I think I’ve gotten used to skiing with the pressure after being
first after the first run and sometimes it’s kind of nice when you
cross the finish line and you know exactly where you stand,” he
said. With his lightness on his edges and clean line, Ligety
gave the remaining three racers plenty to do if they wanted to
wrestle the lead from him. As it happens none could. It was this
exciting racing that the sport needs and the fans appreciate this.
Hirscher admitted that he had taken the second run a little safe yet
the fight will be a long run against the man he considers to be Mr
GS at the moment. For Ligety though, he is relishing the challenge
that Hirscher and Pinturault alongside Jansrud and others are
bringing to the races at the moment. Ligety feels that it will not
be long before Pinturault finishes ahead of him in a race. Kjetil
Jansrud put in a charge on the second run as well. At one stage the
Norwegian
had one ski up in the air yet recovered to post a time that would be
second to Ligety on the run. Svindal managed to get down in a
position to add more points to his burgeoning Overall points tally
that he now leads.
Results
1.
Ted Ligety (USA)
2.
Marcel Hirscher (AUT)
3.
Kjetil Jansrud (NOR)
