| Disciplines: | Giant slalom, super-G, slalom, combined, downhill |
|---|---|
| Club: | Park City Ski Education Foundation |
| Born: | August 31, 1984 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| World Cup debut: | November 22, 2003 (age 19) |
| Website: | tedligety.com |
| Olympics | |
|---|---|
| Teams: | 3 – (2006, 2010, 2014) |
| Medals: | 2 (2 gold) |
| World Championships | |
| Teams: | 6 – (2005–15) |
| Medals: | 7 (5 gold) |
| World Cup | |
| Seasons: | 11th – (2005–15) |
| Wins: | 24 – (23 GS, 1 SC) |
| Podiums: | 49 – (1 DH, 1 SG, 39 GS, 6 SL, 2 SC) |
| Overall titles: | 0 – (3rd – 2013) |
| Discipline titles: | 5 – (5 GS) |
Theodore Sharp "Ted" Ligety (born August 31, 1984) is an American alpine ski racer and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Ligety won the combined event at the 2006 Olympics in Turin and the giant slalom race at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. He is also a five-time World Cup champion in giant slalom(2008, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014). Ligety won the gold medal in the giant slalom at the2011 World Championships. He successfully defended his world title in giant slalom in 2013in Schladming, Austria, where he also won an unexpected gold medal in the super-G and a third gold medal in the super combined. Through December 2014, he has 24 victories (23 in giant slalom and 1 super combined) and 49 podiums in World Cup competition.
His Olympic giant slalom gold medal, 23 GS World Cup wins, 3 GS world championship gold medals and 5 World Cup titles make him one of the greatest giant slalom skiers of all time.
Early life and career[edit]
Ligety was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of Cyndi Sharp and Bill Ligety, who are real estate agents.[5][6] He grew up in Park City and began skiing at two and racing at ten. He attended The Winter Sports School and graduated in 2002. Ligety was named to the U.S. Skiing Development Team and won a silver medal in slalom in the Junior World Championships in 2004. He made his first start in a World Cup event during the 2004 World Cup season in the giant slalom at Park City. In the summer of 2004, Ligety and U.S. Ski Teamhead coach Sasha Rearick studied Fu Style Tai Chi.[7][8] The next winter in the 2005 season, Ligety was added to the U.S. Ski Team full-time, during which he had four top-15 finishes in slalom, placing 24th overall in the discipline.
2006 season[edit]
Ligety recorded his first World Cup podium finish in the first slalom of the season, at Beaver Creek in December, and followed that up with a second and a third during the next three slaloms. Ligety's first major victory of his professional career came at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, held at Sestriere. Ligety won the gold medal in the men's combined event, a major upset after the two racers favored to win the event failed to finish the slalom portion. At age 21, he became the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in alpine skiing in a dozen years, since Tommy Moe won the downhill at the 1994 Winter Olympics inLillehammer, Norway. Ligety also became just the fourth American male skier to win Olympic gold, along with Moe, Phil Mahre (slalom, 1984) and Bill Johnson (downhill, 1984). At Turin, Ligety also participated in the giant slalom and the slalom, but he failed to complete either event. Following his Olympic victory in the combined, Ligety recorded his first World Cupvictory, a win in the giant slalom in Yongpyeong, South Korea. He finished ninth in the overall World Cup standings for the year, marking the first time that three American men had placed in the top 10 (along with Bode Miller in third and Daron Rahlves in fourth), despite the fact that he did not compete in downhill or super-G that year.
2007 season[edit]
In the summer of 2006, Ligety changed his ski supplier from Völkl to Rossignol.[9] With Rahlves' retirement, Ligety began to compete in all five events. However, he managed only two podium finishes during the season, a second in slalom and a third in giant slalom. Disappointingly, he had three fourth-place finishes, one in giant slalom, one in super combined, and one in the World Cup finals downhill, as well as a fourth-place finish in thegiant slalom at the 2007 World Championships in Åre, Sweden, missing a medal by 0.07 seconds. He finished eleventh overall in 2007.
2008 season[edit]
Ligety won his first World Cup season title in the giant slalom in 2008, and finished fifth in the overall standings. He won the final two giant slaloms of the year at Kranjska Gora and Bormio to edge out two-time defending champion Benjamin Raich of Austria for the season title. He also recorded four other podium finishes: a second and a third in giant slalom and two third places in slalom. In addition to his title, Ligety ranked seventh in combined and ninth in slalom.
2009 season[edit]
Ligety opened defense of his 2008 giant slalom title with a third-place finish in Sölden,Austria, and then placed second at Beaver Creek, Colorado. At the 2009 World Championships in Val d'Isère, France, Ligety took the bronze medal in the giant slalom, then won his fourth World Cup race at Kranjska Gora. He finished the season with another second at the finals in Åre, Sweden, which left him ranked third in GS and ninth overall for the season.
2010 season[edit]
Ligety notched his fifth World Cup victory in January, his third win at Kranjska Gora in as many seasons. At the finals in Garmisch, Germany, he finished on the podium to secure his second season title in giant slalom, and finished seventh in the overall standings.
At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics at Whistler, he finished ninth in the giant slalom and fifth in the super combined; he was fifteenth in the downhill portion and first in the one slalom run to finish a half-second out of the medals.
2011 season[edit]
After racing for four seasons on Rossignol skis, Ligety switched his equipment supplier to Head in the summer of 2010,[10] as fellow American champions Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller did in previous seasons. Ligety won his sixth World Cup race in December 2010, his first win on home snow in the U.S., taking the giant slalom by a substantial 0.82 seconds at Beaver Creek, Colorado, the site of his first podium five years earlier. It was the first World Cup victory in the U.S. (and North America) by an American male in four years; the last was by Bode Miller in the downhill at Beaver Creek in December 2006. Six days later, Ligety won the next GS race in Val d'Isère, France, by over a full second.[11] He won his third consecutive GS race at Alta Badia, Italy, the following week.
In February he won his first world championship, taking gold in the giant slalom at the 2011 World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Fourth after the first run, Ligety won by 0.08 seconds over Cyprien Richard of France.[12] He won his third season title in giant slalom in 2011.[13]
2012 season
Even though Ligety was able to win three giant slalom races during the season, he was dethroned as the discipline champion by an overall champion Marcel Hirscher from Austria.
2013 season
Ligety was very skeptical of the new FIS rules for the giant slalom, and cited David Dodge. Dodge stated that it was well known that if one tipped the new ski 7° more it would have the same turning radius than the old 27m ski. The greater knee angulation would then increase the risk of injury. Doubts if the new rules would affect his level of skiing didn't last long as Ligety won the first race of the season in Soelden by a huge margin of 2.75 seconds over Manfred Moelgg who finished second. The season turned out to be the best in Ligety's career as he finished on podium in all eight giant slalom races of the season and winning six of them. That feat helped him to regain the discipline title. In overall standings Ligety finished on the career best 3rd place.
Ligety made his season even more impressive by winning three gold medals at the World Championships in Schladming. The first gold he won surprisingly in super-G race which was his first victory in the discipline in an international level. Ligety then won also the super combined event and successfully defended his title in the giant slalom. It was the first time in 45 years that one male skier won three gold medals in one championships.
2014 season
Ligety won three giant slalom races prior to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. On January 17, Ligety gained his 20th World Cup victory with a win in the super combined event in Wengen, his first (and only) World Cup win outside the giant slalom discipline.
Entering the Olympics, Ligety was considered a favorite to medal in three disciplines, but he finished 12th in the super combined and 14th in the super-G. While under pressure as a big favorite to win a gold in the giant slalom, Ligety began his first run with an attacking attitude and established a 0.93 second lead. He skied carefully on the second run to secure the first-ever gold medal for American man in the discipline. Ligety became the first male American ski racer in history to win two Olympic gold medals in his career.
After the Olympics, Ligety won the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora for the record sixth time. At the season finals in Lenzerheide he surprisingly finished second, tied with Christ of Innerhofer, in the downhill race. The result was his first ever podium in downhill and made him only the second American skier in history, after Bode Miller, to podium in all five alpine skiing disciplines. Ligety then finished fifth in the final super-G race. Before the last giant slalom race of the season Ligety was trailing Marcel Hirscher with 50 points for the discipline title. However, Ligety won the race with 0,03 seconds over Alexis Pinturault and with Hirsher finishing fourth, both skiers ended the season tied with 560 points. The Crystal Globe was however awarded to Ligety who won a tie-breaker while having five discipline victories during the season comparing to Hirsher's two. This was the fifth giant slalom title in Ligety's career.
Other achievements
Ligety has won six national championships, putting him behind the all-time record of nine, held by Bode Miller and Tiger Shaw.
Following his Olympic gold medal at Turin, he started Shred Optics in 2006; Ligety designs all the products and uses them himself. The company produces ski goggles, sunglasses, and helmets.
Ligety served as the Director of Skiing for the now-bankrupt Mt. Holly Club, a private luxury ski and golf resort in southwestern Utah. It is located in eastern Beaver County, on the site of the former Elk Meadows ski area (1971–84).
World Cup results
Season titles
- 5 titles – (5 GS)
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Giant slalom |
| 2010 | Giant slalom |
| 2011 | Giant slalom |
| 2013 | Giant slalom |
| 2014 | Giant slalom |
Season standings
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 19 | 132 | 54 | — | — | — | — |
| 2005 | 20 | 62 | 24 | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 12 | — | — | 13 |
| 2007 | 22 | 11 | 15 | 8 | — | 35 | 11 |
| 2008 | 23 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 40 | — | 7 |
| 2009 | 24 | 9 | 22 | 3 | 21 | — | 44 |
| 2010 | 25 | 7 | 24 | 1 | 14 | — | 14 |
| 2011 | 26 | 9 | 24 | 1 | 35 | 58 | 13 |
| 2012 | 27 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 34 | 47 | 13 |
| 2013 | 28 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 57 | — |
| 2014 | 29 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 20 | 26 | 1 |
| 2015 | 30 | 11 | 39 | 3 | 39 | 58 | 11 |
Race victories
Although a GS specialist, Ligety is among the few alpine ski racers to have a World Cup podium finish in all five disciplines. Both in 2013 and 2014, he was the racer with the most victories that season and among the top three with the most podiums.
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mar 5, 2006 | Yongpyong, South Korea | Giant slalom |
| 2008 | Mar 8, 2008 | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Giant slalom |
| Mar 14, 2008 | Bormio, Italy | Giant slalom | |
| 2009 | Feb 28, 2009 | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Giant slalom |
| 2010 | Jan 29, 2010 | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Giant slalom |
| 2011 | Dec 5, 2010 | Beaver Creek, USA | Giant slalom |
| Dec 11, 2010 | Val d'Isère, France | Giant slalom | |
| Dec 19, 2010 | Alta Badia, Italy | Giant slalom | |
| 2012 | Oct 23, 2011 | Sölden, Austria | Giant slalom |
| Dec 6, 2011 | Beaver Creek, USA | Giant slalom | |
| Mar 10, 2012 | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Giant slalom | |
| 2013 | Oct 28, 2012 | Sölden, Austria | Giant slalom |
| Dec 2, 2012 | Beaver Creek, USA | Giant slalom | |
| Dec 16, 2012 | Alta Badia, Italy | Giant slalom | |
| Jan 12, 2013 | Adelboden, Switzerland | Giant slalom | |
| Mar 9, 2013 | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Giant slalom | |
| Mar 16, 2013 | Lenzerheide, Switzerland | Giant slalom | |
| 2014 | Oct 27, 2013 | Sölden, Austria | Giant slalom |
| Dec 8, 2013 | Beaver Creek, USA | Giant slalom | |
| Jan 17, 2014 | Wengen, Switzerland | Super combined | |
| Feb 2, 2014 | St Moritz, Switzerland | Giant slalom | |
| Mar 8, 2014 | Kranjska Gora, Slovenia | Giant slalom | |
| Mar 15, 2014 | Lenzerheide, Switzerland | Giant slalom | |
| 2015 | Dec 7, 2014 | Beaver Creek, USA | Giant slalom |
World Championships results
Through 2013, Ligety has won five medals in the World Championships, four of them gold. He won three of them in giant slalom, after a bronze medal in 2009 in Val d'Isère behind Carlo Janka and Benjamin Raich he won the GS world title in 2011 besting Cyprien Richard and Philipp Schörghofer. Ligety repeated as world champion in GS in 2013, ahead of Marcel Hirscher and Manfred Mölgg. At Schladming in 2013, he became a triple world champion in giant slalom , super-G and combined at Planai.
Ligety became the fifth man in history to win three or more gold medals at one world championships and the first in 45 years, when Jean-Claude Killy won four in 1968 at Chamrousse, with the combined as a "paper race." Ligety is the first racer of either gender to win the super-G, giant slalom and combined at one world championships.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 20 | DNF2 | — | — | — | 12 |
| 2007 | 22 | DNF1 | 4 | 31 | — | DNF2 |
| 2009 | 24 | DNF2 | 3 | DNF | — | DSQ1 |
| 2011 | 26 | 19 | 1 | DNF | — | DNF2 |
| 2013 | 28 | DNF1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2015 | 30 | 21 | 1 | 9 | — | 3 |
Olympic results 
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 21 | DSQ1 | DNF1 | — | — | 1 |
| 2010 | 25 | DNF1 | 9 | 19 | — | 5 |
| 2014 | 29 | DNF2 | 1 | 14 | — | 12 |
Personal
Through a Citi charitable program, Ligety supports Youth Enrichment Services, an organization located in Boston founded in 1968, that takes urban youth to the mountains and teaches them how to ski and snowboard.
Medal Record
Men's alpine skiing
Representing the United States
International alpine ski competitions
Gold: 2006 Turin - Combined
Gold: 2014 Sochi - Giant slalom
World Championships
Gold: 2011 Garmish - Giant slalom
Gold: 2013 Schladming - Super-G
Gold: 2013 Schladming - Combined
Gold: 2013 Schladming - Combined
Gold: 2015 Beaver Creek - Giant slalom
Bronze: 2009 Val d'lsere - Giant slalom
Bronze: 2015 Beaver Creek - Combined
Junior World Ski Championships
Silver: 2004 Maribor - Slalom
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