ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. SOELDEN, Austria - Ted Ligety is the winner of the 2012/13 season's first Giant Slalom World Cup competition. Manfred Moelgg and Marcel Hirscher joined him on the podium. With a total time of two minutes and 36.02 seconds, he was in front of Moelgg by 2.75 seconds and local hero Hirscher by 3.12 seconds. Moelgg and Hirscher placed third and ninth in the frist run.

In extremely tough weather conditions, Ted Ligety was racing like a super star being 2.75 seconds ahead of 2nd placed Manfred Moelgg and 3.21 seconds in front of 3rd ranked local hero Marcel Hirscher! (Photo: Alexis Boichard/Agence Zoom/FIS)

Since the very beginning, Ted Ligety skied what seemed to be an unbeatable race, managing to perfectly handle the foggy hill in just 1 minute and 18.52 seconds in the first run. In the second race, the weather deteriotated but Ligety raced down the slope in just 1 minute and 17:50 seconds which proved his remarkable performance one more time.

Ted Ligety of the USA takes 1st place during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men's Giant Slalom on October 28, 2012 in Solden, Austria. (Photo: Michel Cottin/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)

After the race, Ligety was surprised about his outstanding run: “That's probably a once in a career achievement. It's pretty phenomenal! I am generally faster on the new skies but would have never thought I would be this fast. One thing that played in my favour was that I knew I could be really smooth even when taking a little longer line.”

Ted’s victory margin is by far the most important is the past thirty years. Last season, he won a giant slalom at Kranjska Gora, in Slovenia, with a lead of 1,61 seconds on France’s Alexis Pinturault.

No racer in the past thirty years has been able to celebrate such an impressive triumph in that specialty! The margin record in a World Cup giant slalom has been set in 1979 in Jasna, in former Czechoslovakian, by Swede’s skiing legend Ingemar Stenmark when he beat his friend Bojan Krizay, who has been racing for Yougoslavia, by 4,06 seconds...

Local hero and last year's overall World Cup title winner Marcel Hirscher felt fine after the race: "I know that everyone in Austria is expecting good results from me. I am really happy about 60 World Cup points today as I was racing against a great Ted Ligety."

Marcel Hirscher of Austria competes during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men's Giant Slalom on October 28, 2012 in Solden, Austria. (Photo: Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)

Manfred Moelgg as well was very satisfied with his performance under such difficult weather conditions: "It was a weird race, in the first run the first numbers definitely didn't have an advantage as the weather was bad but that's ski racing... Luck is sometimes on your side and sometimes not. I am really happy, it's a great way to finish the first race. I was told I skied really well the steep part and this gives me a big boost of confidence."

Manfred Moelgg of Italy takes 2nd place during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men's Giant Slalom on October 28, 2012 in Solden, Austria. (Photo: Alexis Boichard/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)

Next to Ted Ligety, Slovakia's Adam Zampa was another outstanding hero of the day. Finishing ninth, he scored the first World Cup points for his home country since years of waiting: "I think it has been 20 years, since Peter Jurko scored points for what was then still Czechoslovakia. I am happy! I was hoping for this but at the beginning I had a hard time adapting to the new skis, but it could be that we had been training in soft conditions, so now on the ice skiing proved much easier."

Adam Zampa of Slovakia competes during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men's Giant Slalom on October 28, 2012 in Solden, Austria. (Photo: Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)

With heavy snowfalls during the night, the race course could only be set early in the morning and the first racers had low visibility and difficult runs. After the first ten runners, the sky cleared up and the sun came out, allowing the later racers to ski in improved conditions. In the second run, the weather deteriorated and was in favour of the first runners.

Ted Ligety of the USA takes 1st place, Manfred Moelgg of Italy takes 2nd place, Marcel Hirscher of Austria takes 3rd place during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men's Giant Slalom on October 28, 2012 in Solden, Austria. (Photo: A.I.J.S.)

This makes Ted Ligety’s performance even more outstanding since he was skiing in “very difficult conditions with almost no visibility and a lot of bumps”, as he stated in the press conference after the race.

FISalpine.com
Sunday 28 October 2012

Soelden, Men's Giant Slalom 2012
 1 LIGETY Ted USA 2:36.02
 2 MOELGG Manfred ITA 2:38.77
 3 HIRSCHER Marcel AUT 2:39.14
 4 FANARA Thomas FRA 2:39.25
 5 DEFAGO Didier SUI 2:39.45
 6 REICHELT Hannes AUT 2:39.62
 7 DE TESSIERES Gauthier FRA 2:39.75
 8 RAICH Benjamin AUT 2:39.80
 9 ZAMPA Adam SVK 2:39.83
 10 OLSSON Matts SWE 2:40.02
 11 EISATH Florian ITA 2:40.10
 12 MATHIS Marcel AUT 2:40.34
 13 HAUGEN Leif Kristian NOR 2:40.36
 14 KOSTELIC Ivica CRO 2:40.40
 15 JANSRUD Kjetil NOR 2:40.44
 16 MERMILLOD BL. Thomas FRA 2:40.51
 17 ROY Jean-Philippe CAN 2:40.77
 18 NANI Roberto ITA 2:40.93
 19 JITLOFF Tim USA 2:41.03
 20 BAUMANN Romed AUT 2:41.60
 21 JAZBEC Janez SLO 2:41.65
 22 COOK Dustin CAN 2:41.75
 23 NOESIG Christoph AUT 2:41.83