Ted Ligety facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ted Ligety

Alpine skier
Ligety in 2018
Disciplines	Giant slalom, super-G, slalom, combined
Club	Park City Ski Education Foundation
Born	(1984-08-31) August 31, 1984 (age 40) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
World Cup debut	November 22, 2003 (age 19)
Website	tedligety.com
Olympics
Teams	4 – (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
Medals	2 (2 gold)
World Championships
Teams	7 – (2005–15, 2019)
Medals	7 (5 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	18 – (2003–2021)
Wins	25 – (24 GS, 1 SC)
Podiums	52 – (1 DH, 2 SG, 41 GS,           6 SL, 2 SC)
Overall titles	0 – (3rd – 2013)
Discipline titles	5 – (5 GS)
Medal record Men's alpine skiing Representing the  United States World Cup race podiums Event 1st 2nd 3rd Slalom 0 2 4 Giant 24 7 10 Super-G 0 2 0 Downhill 0 1 0 Combined 1 1 0 International alpine ski competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 0 World Championships 5 0 2 Olympic Games Gold 2006 Turin Combined Gold 2014 Sochi Giant slalom World Championships Gold 2011 Garmisch Giant slalom Gold 2013 Schladming Super-G Gold 2013 Schladming Combined Gold 2013 Schladming Giant slalom Gold 2015 Beaver Creek Giant slalom Bronze 2009 Val d'Isère Giant slalom Bronze 2015 Beaver Creek Combined Junior World Ski Championships Silver 2004 Maribor Slalom

Theodore Sharp Ligety (born August 31, 1984) is a retired American alpine ski racer. He is famous for winning two Olympic gold medals. He also co-founded a company called Shred Optics.

Ligety won the combined event at the 2006 Olympics in Turin. He then won the giant slalom race at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. He is also a five-time World Cup champion in giant slalom. He won these titles in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014.

Ligety won the gold medal in giant slalom at the 2011 World Championships. He won this title again in 2013 in Schladming, Austria. In 2013, he also won gold medals in super-G and super combined.

Ligety retired from ski racing in February 2021 due to an injury. He finished his career with 25 victories and 52 podium finishes in World Cup races. His many giant slalom wins make him one of the greatest giant slalom skiers ever.

Early Life and Skiing Start

Ligety was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents, Cyndi Sharp and Bill Ligety, worked as real estate agents. He grew up in Park City and started skiing at age two. He began racing when he was ten years old.

He went to The Winter Sports School and finished in 2002. Ligety joined the U.S. Skiing Development Team. In 2004, he won a silver medal in slalom at the Junior World Championships. He competed in his first World Cup event in 2004. This was a giant slalom race in Park City. In the 2005 season, Ligety became a full-time member of the U.S. Ski Team.

Career Highlights

2006: Olympic Gold and First Wins

Ligety earned his first World Cup podium finish in December 2005. This was in a slalom race at Beaver Creek. His first big win came at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Ligety won the gold medal in the men's combined event. This was a big surprise!

At 21, he became the first American man to win an Olympic alpine skiing gold medal in 12 years. He was only the fourth American male skier to win Olympic gold. After his Olympic win, Ligety got his first World Cup victory. This was in a giant slalom race in Yongpyeong, South Korea. He finished ninth in the overall World Cup standings that year.

2007: Changing Equipment

In 2006, Ligety changed his ski brand from Völkl to Rossignol. He started competing in all five alpine skiing events. He had two podium finishes that season. He finished second in slalom and third in giant slalom. He also had three fourth-place finishes. He ended the 2007 season in eleventh place overall.

2008: First World Cup Title

Ligety won his first World Cup season title in giant slalom in 2008. He finished fifth in the overall standings. He won the last two giant slalom races of the year. This helped him win the season title over Benjamin Raich. He also had four other podium finishes.

2009: World Championship Medal

Ligety started the 2009 season with a third-place finish in Sölden, Austria. He then placed second at Beaver Creek, Colorado. At the 2009 World Championships in Val d'Isère, France, Ligety won a bronze medal in giant slalom. He then won his fourth World Cup race at Kranjska Gora. He finished the season ranked third in giant slalom.

2010: Another Giant Slalom Title

Ligety earned his fifth World Cup victory in January. This was his third win at Kranjska Gora. At the finals in Garmisch, Germany, he secured his second season title in giant slalom. He finished seventh in the overall standings.

At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, he finished ninth in giant slalom. He was fifth in the super combined event.

2011: World Champion Again

After using Rossignol skis for four seasons, Ligety switched to Head in 2010. He won his sixth World Cup race in December 2010. This was his first win on home snow in the U.S.. He won the giant slalom at Beaver Creek, Colorado. Six days later, Ligety won the next giant slalom race in Val d'Isère, France. He won his third straight giant slalom race in Alta Badia, Italy, the following week.

In February, he won his first world championship. He took gold in giant slalom at the 2011 World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. He won his third season title in giant slalom in 2011.

2012: Strong Giant Slalom Season

Ligety won three giant slalom races during the 2012 season. However, Marcel Hirscher from Austria won the overall giant slalom title.

2013: Amazing Triple Gold

Ligety had his best season in 2013. He finished on the podium in all eight giant slalom races. He won six of them, which helped him win the giant slalom title again. He also finished third in the overall World Cup standings.

Ligety had an even more amazing season by winning three gold medals at the World Championships in Schladming. He surprisingly won his first gold in super-G. Ligety then won the super combined event. He also successfully defended his giant slalom title. He was the first male skier in 45 years to win three gold medals at one championship.

2014: Olympic Gold and More Records

Ligety won three giant slalom races before the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. In January, he won his 20th World Cup victory. This was in the super combined event in Wengen, Switzerland. It was his first World Cup win outside of giant slalom.

At the Olympics, Ligety was expected to win a medal in three events. He finished 12th in super combined and 14th in super-G. He was a big favorite to win gold in giant slalom. He skied very well in his first run, getting a big lead. He then skied carefully in the second run to win the first-ever gold medal for an American man in giant slalom. Ligety became the first American male ski racer to win two Olympic gold medals in his career.

After the Olympics, Ligety won the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora for a record sixth time. At the season finals, he finished second in a downhill race. This was his first podium finish in downhill. It made him only the second American skier, after Bode Miller, to get a podium finish in all five alpine skiing events. Ligety won his fifth giant slalom title in 2014.

2015: Another World Title

The 2015 season was not as successful for Ligety in the World Cup. He won only one race. However, at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2015 in Beaver Creek, Ligety won a bronze medal in the super combined event. In the giant slalom, he skied incredibly well in the second run. He won his third straight world title in the discipline.

2016: Injury Ends Season

Ligety won the first race of the 2016 season. This was a giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, in October 2015. While training in January 2016, he tore a ligament in his right knee. This injury needed surgery and ended his 2016 season.

2017: Back Pain

Ligety returned to World Cup racing in October 2016. He competed in the giant slalom race in Sölden. He finished 11th in another giant slalom in December. However, he had to stop competing in the next two races due to back pain. In January 2017, Ligety announced he would have surgery for his back. This ended his season.

2018: PyeongChang Olympics

Ligety returned to World Cup racing in late 2017. He competed in the Super G at Lake Louise. He finished seventh in the giant slalom at Beaver Creek in December 2017. He continued to compete in other World Cup events.

Ligety was chosen for the US Olympic team in January 2018. He competed in the combined, Super G, giant slalom, and slalom races at the PyeongChang Olympics. He finished fifth in the men's combined event. After a disappointing giant slalom finish, he decided to skip the slalom event.

Other Achievements

Ligety has won six national championships. This puts him close to the all-time record of nine, held by Bode Miller and Tiger Shaw.

After winning his Olympic gold medal in Turin in 2006, he started his company, Shred Optics. Ligety designs all the products himself, including ski goggles, sunglasses, and helmets.

World Cup Results

Season Titles

• 5 titles – 5 Giant slalom + 1 Combined unofficial

Unofficial, tied with Alexis Pinturault
Ingemar Stenmark is the only racer with more GS season titles (8).

Season Standings

Race Victories

Ligety is one of the few alpine ski racers to have a World Cup podium finish in all five disciplines.

• 25 wins – (24 GS, 1 SC)
• 52 podiums – (1 DH, 2 SG, 41 GS, 6 SL, 2 SC)

Season	Date	Location	Discipline
2006	Mar 5, 2006	Yongpyong, South Korea	Giant slalom
2008	Mar 8, 2008	Kranjska Gora, Slovenia	Giant slalom
	Mar 14, 2008	Bormio, Italy	Giant slalom
2009	Feb 28, 2009	Kranjska Gora, Slovenia	Giant slalom
2010	Jan 29, 2010		Giant slalom
2011	Dec 5, 2010	Beaver Creek, United States	Giant slalom
	Dec 11, 2010	Val d'Isère, France	Giant slalom
	Dec 19, 2010	Alta Badia, Italy	Giant slalom
2012	Oct 23, 2011	Sölden, Austria	Giant slalom
	Dec 6, 2011	Beaver Creek, United States	Giant slalom
	Mar 10, 2012	Kranjska Gora, Slovenia	Giant slalom
2013	Oct 28, 2012	Sölden, Austria	Giant slalom
	Dec 2, 2012	Beaver Creek, United States	Giant slalom
	Dec 16, 2012	Alta Badia, Italy	Giant slalom
	Jan 12, 2013	Adelboden, Switzerland	Giant slalom
	Mar 9, 2013	Kranjska Gora, Slovenia	Giant slalom
	Mar 16, 2013	Lenzerheide, Switzerland	Giant slalom
2014	Oct 27, 2013	Sölden, Austria	Giant slalom
	Dec 8, 2013	Beaver Creek, United States	Giant slalom
	Jan 17, 2014	Wengen, Switzerland	Super combined
	Feb 2, 2014	St Moritz, Switzerland	Giant slalom
	Mar 8, 2014	Kranjska Gora, Slovenia	Giant slalom
	Mar 15, 2014	Lenzerheide, Switzerland	Giant slalom
2015	Dec 7, 2014	Beaver Creek, United States	Giant slalom
2016	Oct 25, 2015	Sölden, Austria	Giant slalom

World Championships Results

Ligety has won seven medals at the World Championships. Five of these medals are gold. He won three gold medals in giant slalom. At Schladming in 2013, he became a triple world champion. He won gold in giant slalom, super-G, and combined. Ligety was the first man in 45 years to win three or more gold medals at one world championship.

Olympic Results

Personal Life

Ligety supports Youth Enrichment Services through a program by Citi. This organization helps urban youth learn to ski and snowboard. He is married and has three children. His first son was born in 2017, and twin sons were born in 2020.

Images for kids

• 

  World Cup champs, 2010: Ligety and Lindsey Vonn

See also

In Spanish: Ted Ligety para niños