Ligety defends world giant slalom title

Olympic champion Ted Ligety claimed his third successive giant slalom world title on Friday, using a strong second leg to deny Austrian arch-rival Marcel Hirscher again at Beaver Creek.
Ligety, a 30-year-old from Park City, Utah, charged down the Birds of Prey course to come from behind and clock an aggregate time of 2min 34.16sec over two legs, finishing 0.45sec ahead of World Cup overall points leader Hirscher.
"Today was awesome," Ligety said. "After the first run I was definitely feeling the pressure, it was great to lay down that second run.
"It's great for the US."
Ligety's victory saw him become the first man to win the giant slalom at three alpine skiing World Championships, following wins in 2011 and 2013.
France's Alexis Pinturault finished third with a time of 2:35.04 to take the bronze.
Hirscher is the winner of the World Cup overall title the last three seasons and has dominated the giant slalom in the World Cup this season but the Birds of Prey is not his favourite slope.
Ligety has made this his own personal playground, winning the last four World Cup giant slalom races in Beaver Creek.
"My second run was good but Ted's run was super," said Hirscher. "It was a really tough fight, one of toughest races I've ever skied."
Ligety won Olympic gold in Sochi, Russia, last year and now is the first man to win the world title in this event as reigning Olympic champion since Gustav Thoni in 1974.
"I'm not really fully aware of records. That stuff is cool and it's always nice to have those achievements," Ligety said.
"This one's really meaningful to me. I was one of the favourites and to do this under pressure is great."
Pinturault won the bronze at the Sochi Games behind Ligety and French compatriot Steve Missillier.
"The first leg, I felt very good, I felt great," said Pinturault. "But in the second leg, I felt tense and tired. It was tough. I did the best I could do today."
A crowded leaderboard after the morning run resulted in a dramatic finish to the afternoon session as the lead changed hands three times over the final six ski racers.
Ligety topped an earlier run by Sweden's Matts Olsson then watched Hirscher's final charge fall short. Hirscher led after the first run, clocking a time of 1:15.18 for a 0.18sec lead over Italian Roberto Nani.
"I made some mistakes in the first run but I knew I had the speed to climb back up there," Ligety said. "I knew if I eased up a little bit I was going to hate myself for a long time for this so I took some risks.
"It was super nerve-racking watching those other guys come down."
Germany's Felix Neureuther finished fourth in 2:35.04 and Olsson rounded out the top five just 0.22sec behind. Nai finished sixth.
Source: AFP