Beaver Creek: Ligety laments missed podium

With all eyes on Olympic combined gold medalist Ted Ligety, the 22-year-old Park City native wanted nothing but gold in Thursday’s Birds of Prey combined.  
    After a terrific downhill run that left him in striking distance of the podium, Ligety couldn’t find his form in slalom and finished a disappointing 10th.

BEAVER CREEK, Colorado — With all eyes on Olympic combined gold medalist Ted Ligety, the 22-year-old Park City native wanted nothing but gold in Thursday’s Birds of Prey combined.  
    After a terrific downhill run that left him in striking distance of the podium, Ligety couldn’t find his form in slalom and finished a disappointing 10th.
    Sitting in 23rd after the downhill, Ligety was confident despite his October hand injury that still hinders his pole plants. He suffered a diagonal fracture to the second metacarpal bone (index finger) on his right hand when he hit it on a gate while training on the Pitztal glacier in Austria in October.
    “Yeah for sure I have more confidence,” Ligety said Thursday. “I’ve been training a lot of speed and I felt really good down in Chile. I was training with the speed guys.”
    The Pitztal put a dent in his slalom training volume.
    “I can’t rest it,” Ligety said of his setback. “It doesn’t feel good when I hit gates or try to pole plant, but it’s part of the sport. Something I am just going to have to deal with. I’ve been lacking in training this whole season. Hopefully I can get going pretty soon here.”
    Disappointed with his slalom run Thursday afternoon, Ligety pointed to his hand for an explanation. “I think the biggest part is that I have to hold back a little bit because the main way I get back on course when I start making big mistakes is by my pole plant, and I don’t have that right now. So if I make a mistake I’m out of the course.”
    Normally a high-spirited competitor, Ligety gave off no such vibe today as he walked away frustrated. “Oh for sure [I’m disappointed]. I mean it kills me. It sucks to lose by two seconds to Aksel [Lund Svindal]. I was beating him by two seconds last year. It’s pretty ridiculous actually.”
    Although concerned for his season and for his health, Ligety sees hope. “There’s definitely some positives that can come out of this. … My downhill is so great right now and it’s good to have that to build some confidence. Slalom has always been my bread-and-butter event, so when I’m suffering there, it’s definitely a little worrisome and definitely frustrating.”
    One thing he’s not worried about is his ski setup. “Yeah I’m super psyched about my equipment. [My skiing] is definitely a product of lack of training with my hand in slalom. In GS right now I think it’s as good as it’s ever been and obviously my downhill is as good as it’s ever been, so just because my slalom is kind of sucking right now doesn’t mean everything else is.”
    Ligety, like many of the other United States athletes, is glad to be racing at home. “Skiing at Beaver Creek is awesome,” as he looked at the crowd and “Go Ligety!” signs. “I love it here. It’s my favorite place to come every year because it’s so close to home. It’s really nice to be in that kind of atmosphere.”