Ted Ligety
Ted Ligety is a prominent American alpine skier renowned for his achievements in giant slalom. Born on August 31, 1984, in Salt Lake City, Utah, he began skiing at a young age and was inspired to pursue a career in alpine skiing after witnessing the 1994 Winter Olympics. Throughout his career, Ligety made a significant impact on the sport, becoming the second American to win two Olympic gold medals and securing five FIS World Cup season titles and five gold medals at the FIS Alpine World Championships. He gained recognition for his distinctive skiing style, characterized by wide arcs that allowed for increased speed, which has since influenced many young skiers.
Ligety’s Olympic journey began impressively in 2006, culminating in his notable victories in the giant slalom at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Unfortunately, injuries plagued the latter part of his career, leading to his retirement from competitive skiing in February 2021. Post-retirement, he remains active in the skiing community, including a role as an announcer at the 2022 Olympics. He has also co-founded Shred Optics, a company specializing in skiing gear. Ligety's contributions to alpine skiing and his commitment to the sport continue to resonate with fans and athletes alike.
Subject Terms
Ted Ligety
American skier
- Born: August 31, 1984
- Place of Birth: Salt Lake City, Utah
Significance: Ted Ligety is one of the world’s top giant slalom skiers. He was only the second American alpine skier to win two Olympic gold medals. He also earned five International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup season titles and five FIS Alpine World Championship gold medals. He retired from World Cup skiing in 2021.
Background
Ted Ligety was born Theodore Sharp Ligety on August 31, 1984, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Cyndi Sharp and Bill Ligety. He and his younger brother, Charlie, grew up in nearby Park City, the home to several world-class skiing resorts and training facilities. Ligety began skiing around the age of two. He joined the Park City Farm Team before making the Park City Ski Team, and he began racing when he was eleven. Inspired by skiing medalist Tommy Moe’s performances at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, Ligety announced his intent to become an alpine skier and Olympic medalist. That same year, his coach nicknamed him Ted Shred, which was later abbreviated Shred.
Ligety engaged in several other sports, but his primary interest was skiing. In 2002, he experienced the Olympics for the first time when the Winter Games were held in Salt Lake City. He obtained a position as a forerunner, testing the runs before the races. Because of his job, he was able to watch the Olympic skiers compete.
By the time Ligety graduated from the Winters Sports School in 2002, several of his friends had joined the US Ski Team, but he had failed to attract any coach’s attention. Undeterred, he postponed going to college so he could pursue his dream of becoming an elite skier.
Alpine Skiing Career
In 2003, Ligety’s parents paid $10,000 so he could join the US Ski Team’s development squad. During the next two years, he gained ground and increased his ranking. In 2004, he won a silver medal in the slalom at the 2004 Junior World Championships and placed twenty-third in an International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup slalom, which earned him a spot on the 2005 US Ski Team. He went into the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, as a relatively unknown skier. Ligety competed in three events—the combined, the slalom, and the giant slalom—and won the gold medal in the combined event. His surprising win set him on the path to become an elite skier.
Between 2007 and 2010, Ligety competed frequently on the FIS World Cup circuit, where he ranked first in the giant slalom in 2008 and 2010. He competed in the FIS Alpine World Championships in 2007 and 2009, winning bronze in the giant slalom in 2009. Ligety entered the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, as the top-ranking skier in giant slalom but failed to take any medals, coming in ninth in the giant slalom.
Despite his Olympic loss, Ligety continued to dominate the giant slalom. In 2011, he ended the FIS World Cup season first in the giant slalom. He also won a gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2011 World Championships. In 2013, he won three gold medals at the World Championships: in the giant slalom, the super-G, and the super combined. He went into the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, as a favorite and the season’s World Cup giant slalom leader. While he failed to win the super-combined or the super-G, coming in twelfth and fourteenth, respectively, Ligety placed first in the giant slalom event, beating his closest competitor by 0.48 seconds. The win earned him his second Olympic gold medal. He continued on to win his third consecutive gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2015 World Championships.
Ligety missed the majority of the 2016 and 2017 seasons due to a knee injury and surgeries on his back and shoulder. He recovered for the 2018 season, and by the start of the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, he was the highest-ranking American giant slalom skier. He failed to take any medals, however, and placed fifth in the alpine combined and fifteenth in the giant slalom. After the games, he announced his plan to continue racing and possibly return to the Olympics in 2022, though those plans did not come to fruition.
For the 2019–20 skiing season, Ligety announced he would only compete in his signature event, the giant slalom. However, the season was disrupted by the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. Ligety continued skiing in the 2021 season, though only in the giant slalom. Ligety announced his retirement in February 2021. Since then, he has continued to ski recreationally and has become involved in his community. He returned to the Olympics in 2022 as an announcer. In 2024, he told Townlift that he is committed to getting the Winter Olympics to return to Utah.
Impact
A two-time Olympic medalist and five-time FIS World Cup giant slalom champion, Ligety accomplished feats unreached by most other skiers and helped to revolutionize his sport. He was just the second American alpine skier to win two Olympic golds. He also became one of a small number of skiers in the world to win three gold medals at a single FIS Alpine World Championship. At the time Ligety accomplished that feat in 2013, it had been forty-five years since another skier, the legendary Jean-Claude Killy had done the same. Known for his speed and unique skiing style, Ligety introduced new skiing techniques and helped alpine racing regain popularity among younger skiers. His signature style—a wide arc that helped him gain speed but required greater dexterity and strength—has been imitated by legions of other skiers.
Personal Life
Ligety married Mia Pascoe in 2015. They had a son, Jax, in 2017 and twins in 2020. The family lived in Park City, Utah. Ligety cofounded Shred Optics, a skiing apparel company offering brightly colored goggles, helmets, and ski wear.
Bibliography
Brown, Ashley. "Park City Olympian Ted Ligety’s Contribution in Bringing the Winter Games Back to Utah." Townlift, 12 Feb. 2024, townlift.com/2024/02/park-city-olympian-ted-ligetys-contribution-in-bringing-the-winter-games-back-to-utah/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Maese, Rick. “Ted Ligety Is Back for Another Olympics, after a Long and Painful Road.” The Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/ted-ligety-is-back-for-another-olympics-after-a-long-and-painful-road/2018/02/06/3ddea75a-0b38-11e8-8890-372e2047c935‗story.html. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Miller, Mike. “Ted Ligety Carved His Place in Olympic History.” NBC Sports, 19 Feb. 2014, olympics.nbcsports.com/2014/02/19/ted-ligety-carved-his-place-in-olympic-history/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Pennington, Bill. “Ski Ace Ted Ligety Bows Out of Olympics. Will It Be for Good?” The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/sports/olympics/ligety-olympics-end.html. Accessed 1 Oct.2024.
Pennington, Bill. “Told to Be ‘Realistic,’” Ted Ligety Defied His Doubters.” The New York Times, 13 Feb. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/sports/this-skiing-thing-works-out-all-right-for-ligety.html. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Rosen, Karen. “Ted Ligety Struggles to Defend Olympic Giant Slalom Title While Ryan Cochran-Siegle Has Medal Worthy Second Run.” Team USA, 18 Feb. 2018, www.teamusa.org/News/2018/February/18/Ted-Ligety-Struggles-To-Defend-Olympic-Giant-Slalom-Title-While-Ryan-Cochran-Siegle. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
“Ted Ligety.” US Ski & Snowboard, 2020, usskiandsnowboard.org/athletes/ted-ligety. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Wiegand, Jenny, and Samantha Berman. “Ted Ligety Announces Retirement After Storied 17-Year Career." SKI Magazine, 9 Feb. 2021, www.skimag.com/news/ted-ligety-announces-retirement/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.