SOELDEN, Austria — World champion Ted Ligety completed an American double at the season-opening World Cup weekend by winning Sunday’s giant slalom, a day after Lindsey Vonn took the women’s race for her first-ever GS title.
“It’s a pretty awesome start to the season,” Ligety said. “For us both, to get the top step here is cool. . . . I feel sorry for the other girls. Now Lindsey has started to win giant slaloms as well.”
Bode Miller, who won the opener in 2003 and 2004, took ninth for only his second top-10 finish in giant slalom since October 2008.
Ligety confirmed his status as the leading giant slalom skier by earning his first win on the Rettenbach glacier and his ninth overall, each of them in GS.
“Winning in Soelden was a big target,” Ligety said. “I have been on the podium here so many times. We have trained a lot on the course; that’s definitely an advantage.”
Ligety, who is defending his third World Cup GS title this season, maintained his lead from the first run to finish in an aggregate 2 minutes, 22.00 seconds.
Alexis Pinturault of France took second, 0.29 behind Ligety. It was the second podium finish for the 20-year-old Pinturault, who won the world junior title in GS twice.
Austria’s Philipp Schoerhofer was 0.51 back in third.
The Associated Press
