Beaver Creek: Ligety still seeking slalom potion

With a hand injury worsened by Saturday’s events, it was no surprise that Ted Ligety walked away from Sunday’s slalom without a medal and in more pain.
    Third after the first run behind Sweden’s Andre Myhrer and Germany’s Alois Vogl, Ligety — and his fans — had something to be hopeful for. But in the second run, he hooked a tip at the top of the course, leaving Ligety disappointed but hopeful for his slalom skiing.
BEAVER CREEK, Colorado — With a hand injury worsened by Saturday’s events, it was no surprise that Ted Ligety walked away from Sunday’s slalom without a medal and in more pain.
    Third after the first run behind Sweden’s Andre Myhrer and Germany’s Alois Vogl, Ligety — and his fans — had something to be hopeful for. But in the second run, he hooked a tip at the top of the course, leaving Ligety disappointed but hopeful for his slalom skiing.
    “Slalom has been going pretty awful recently,” Ligety said. “But it’s good to know that I can be in there in slalom. That’s definitely a confidence boost.”
    After hitting his broken hand on a gate Saturday in the GS, Ligety is still unsure what’s in store for his recovery.
    “I got it X-rayed and it was still broken,” he said. “I’m getting scans here in a minute and then evaluate that from here.”
    Ligety said that although during the downhill and GS this weekend his hand did not bother him, slalom remains painful. “In slalom every single time I cross-block or pole plant, it definitely is not sweet. I rely totally on my left hand to save me. It’s not an ideal situation.”
    With a medal in his pocket after Saturday’s GS, Ligety was taken his second-run DNF Sunday in stride. “I was going for it,” he said. “I had a lot of time to make up on Andre. A gate caught my tip — it’s just one of those things that happens. It’s just good to get a fast run in there [first run] that’s in contention with the other guys in the world. I was happy with that.”
    Ligety had some words of advice for Ante Kostelic, the course setter for second run and father of Janica and Ivica.
    “Kostelic is known for setting a doozy of a course and it’s kind of a shame that they let him do that,” Ligety said. “It doesn't make the sport that entertaining when everyone is hacking it up there. So it’s too bad that he always tries to get people to go out, because he knows that Ivica’s not going to do that well anymore. It’s too bad that’s how it has to be, but it’s his choice.”
    On a positive note, Ligety is stoked about his GS skiing and even a little shocked that GS maybe his new event.
    “Right now I’m leaning towards GS as my favorite,” Ligety said. “I think [because of my hand] it’s a day-to-day thing.”