Sestriere, Italy – The U.S. Ski Team got a much-needed lift Tuesday night under the lights on the Olympic slalom hill, not from one of its highly touted veterans but from a quiet, modest young man just beginning to understand how good he can be on the international stage.
Slalom phenom Ted Ligety rescued Team USA’s fortunes and captured a gold medal in the combined event after teammate Bode Miller straddled a gate in the first slalom run and threw away a medal he seemed poised to win.
Ligety, 21, earned his first victory against elite competition and became only the fourth U.S. man to win an Olympic gold medal in alpine skiing, joining Phil Mahre, Bill Johnson and Tommy Moe.
Coming two days after Miller and Daron Rahlves were shut out of the medals in the men’s downhill, Ligety’s heroics were a huge relief for a team carrying higher expectations than ever before in the Olympics.
Teammates Scott Macartney and Steve Nyman tackled Ligety in the finish area to begin the celebration.
“I have no idea how this will change my life,” Ligety said. “I’m pretty satisfied with my life so far, so I hope it doesn’t change it too much.”
Miller seemed to have set himself up beautifully with the fastest downhill run, which preceded two runs of slalom. The straddled gate earned him a disqualification and put Austrian all- around star Benjamin Raich in the lead.
A man with limited downhill experience, Ligety was three seconds behind, but that left him within striking distance of the medals with his slalom prowess.
Attacking with a tactical maturity beyond his years, Ligety had the fastest time in the first slalom run and came within a hundredth of a second of posting the best time in the second slalom run.
Then, with a silver medal assured, Ligety watched as Raich straddled a gate, handing Ligety the gold.
“I was trying to stay loose up there, to stay relaxed,” Ligety said. “I knew if I could ski well, I’d have a chance. After the first couple of gates, I was getting into a rhythm, and I wasn’t making any stupid mistakes. I was surprised to see I was in the lead when I crossed the line. I never expected to be here right now. A medal wasn’t something that I could have foreseen.”
Nor did his parents.
“First Olympics, we sure weren’t expecting a gold medal,” said his father, Bill. “He’s just so determined. When he wants something, he just really goes for it, and he’s willing to work and do what he needs to do to get it.”
Ski team coaches have been expecting big things for Ligety, if not an Olympic gold medal his second year on the World Cup. Ligety got on a roll in slalom this season, capturing his first World Cup podium at Beaver Creek (third place) in December and picking up two more podiums since then.
“In Beaver Creek, I started to realize that I had the speed I needed to be on the podium, but I wasn’t changing my tactics,” Ligety said. “I just wanted to ski the best I could.”
Ligety didn’t make the U.S. development team until he was 18, later than most up-and-coming talents, but he has been on the fast track ever since.
“He’s more confident than you’d ever expect for a competitor of his age and the amount of experience he has,” said head coach Phil McNichol. “He conducts himself – in terms of experience and handling pressure and self-confidence – like a competitor with many more years (experience).”
Miller looked ragged and out of shape on the first slalom run, but he appeared to have finished it still in the lead. Television replays later showed he straddled a gate about three-quarters of the way down.
“I don’t tend to get that disappointed,” Miller said. “At least I don’t have to go all the way down to Torino (for a medal ceremony).”
Ligety will be happy to take his place.
“We needed somebody to step up and perform,” said Bill Marolt, chief executive of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. “Starting 2 1/2 years ago, he started skiing fast, and he’s just continued to grow. He’s a quiet, confident 21-year-old who just goes out and executes.”
