Ligety Named USOC Athlete of the Month

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (March 11, 2015) – The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has named Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) as the male Athlete of the Month for February 2015, recognizing “Mr. GS” for his outstanding performance at the 2015 FIS Alpine World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek.

The scene at World Champs was one of great excitement. After a cautious first run, Ligety stepped up and showed that he was still is the best giant slalom skier in the world, skiing fluidly through his second run. Railing turns on-edge, he milked speed out of every transition and put together a perfect run. As he crossed the finish line, Ligety’s time was 1.23 seconds ahead of the field. The crowd went wild and Ligety pumped his fists.

Ligety’s lead would hold as his Austrian rival Marcel Hirscher, who had beat him on the first run, put together a solid second run but was unable to close the gap. In winning the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships’ giant slalom at Vail/Beaver Creek, Ligety earned his fifth consecutive GS win in a row on the fabled Birds of Prey terrain and became the first man ever to win three World Championships GS races in a row. The victory also marked his seventh career world championship medal, making him the most decorated U.S. skier in world championship history.

Ligety was recognized for his notable performance during the month of February alongside speedskater Brittany Bowe (Ocala, Florida) and the U.S. Women’s National Bobsled Team.