The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 15, 2006, Page 13, Image 13
r
Ligety Split: 21-year-old American upstages DCfd Miller for Alpine gold
Howard Fendnch
I THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SESTRIERE, Italy — Not
that long ago, Ted Ligety was
everything Bode Miller is
not: unknown, unsponsored,
unaccomplished.
Now, thanks both to his
own clean, aggressive skiing
and errors by Miller and
other favorites, Ligety is an
Olympic champion.
Miller still is not.
“It’s great to be where I
am,” the 21-year-old Ligety
said, his voice hoarse, “but
^ it’s unexpected, that’s for
P sure.”
Never before a competitor
at a Winter Games, never
before a winner of any
major race, Ligety produced
two spectacular slalom runs
to pull out the combined
event Tuesday night, only
the fourth time in Olympic
history an American man
has collected a gold medal
in Alpine skiing.
A few hours before, it
appeared Miller might win
that medal. Fastest in the
downhill portion of the
^ three-leg event, he was
W disqualified after straddling
a gate in the first slalom.
Trailing far behind after
the afternoon downhill,
Ligety took a star turn under
the floodlights during the
evening slalom. He was as
consistent as a metronome,
rocking smoothly back
and forth, back and forth,
smacking away gates with
his orange gloves and black
shin guards.
“You’ve just got to get in
the starting gate,” Ligety
said, “and throw down
whatever you’ve got.”
When he finished his
final run, the day’s fastest at
43.84 seconds, the youngster
nicknamed “Ligety Split”
raised his hands and took a
well-deserved bow.
Still, Ligety had to wait
to celebrate.
First, Ivica Kostelic of
Croatia finished a half
second shy. Then, World
Cup slalom champion
Benjamin Raich of Austria
went off-course about 30
seconds into his run.
That was it. U.S. skiers
Steven Nyman and Scott
Macartney ran over to
tackle Ligety, and the trio
of teammates rolled in
the snow. Ligety took a
victory ride on the others’
shoulders, waving a U.S.
flag.
“It’s a great day, especially
with Bode skiing out,”
Macartney said. “Ted
stepped up.”
Ligety, from Park City,
Utah, had never finished
better than 10th in a top
level combined race. On
Tuesday, he was best with
a total time of 3 minutes,
9.35 seconds. Kostelic won
the silver, 0.53 behind, and
got a hug from sister Janica,
herself a champion Olympic
skier. Rainer Schoenfelder
of Austria was third, 1.32
back.
Raich, meanwhile, pushed
his goggles atop his head
and slowly made his way
down the hill.
“Bad luck,” he said. “Of
course, I’m sad, but life
must go on.”
It wasn’t the first time
Ligety benefited from an
error by Raich. Ligety’s first
career World Cup podium
finish came in December at
Beaver Creek, Colo., when
Raich skied off-course on
the second run of a slalom,
allowing the American to
finish third.
That was Ligety’s
breakthrough, and his
coaches have been predicting
^ven greater things for him
_ albeit not this quickly.
“I’m not surprised he’s
on the podium,” U.S. men’s
coaeh Phil McNichol said.
“I’m a bit surprised he won
gold.”
The performance must
have been a relief to the
team, after Miller and
Daron Rahlves were
afterthoughts in Sunday’s
downhill, and Lindsey
Kildow had a horrifying
crash in women’s downhill
training. On Tuesday,
U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Association president and
chief executive Bill Marolt
found himself defending
tfie team’s motto: “Best in
the World.”
Charles Krupa / The Associated Press
Bode Miller of the United States in action during the Slalom portion of the Men’s Com
bined at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Sestriere Colie, Italy, on Tuesday.
pflsiennu • compm
3. 1 and Done 2-0
4. Dynasty 2-0
5. JPN Allstars 2-0
Garnet League AKA
Like to think we’re
competitive but we’d get
beat like a drum and made
to cry if we were in Gold '
League:
1. Sellers for House 3-0
ft 2. The Nastiness 3-0
^ 3. GEA Red Pens 3-0
4. The Emerging Maple ■
Syrup Conglomerate 3-0
5. Deer Slayers 3-0
Black League AKA
We’re out here for the
exercise:
1. Ludacris 3-0
2. Eat Me 2-0-1
3. The Octahon 2-0-1
4. BCM 2-0
5. Levyburg Used Gyro
Stand and Drycleaning 2
0
CoRec AKA uh, CoRec:
1. Warthogs
ft 2. Southern Avengers
3. Strict Liability
4. Phi Sig Spider
Monkeys
5. Blackville Beers
Fraternity AKA Best of
lie worst (sorry, it’s true):
1. Sigma Alpha Epsilon
1-0
2. Omega Psi Phi 3-0
3. Sigma Phi Epsilon 3
)
4. Phi Delta Phi 3-0
5. Phi Beta Sigma 2-0
Women’s/Sorority AKA
Htle LX:
1. Trees 3-0
2. PT Cruisers 3-0
3. Alpha Delta Pi 2-0
4. Chi Omega 2-1
5. The Destruction 2-1
r----—-—
I BASKETBALL • COflTinUED PROfTl 12
Day grabbed a rebound off
a Jean Felix missed three.
On a drive, fellow junior
Brandon Wallace missed an
easy ally-hoop pass from
Kelley, leaving Balkman in
the lane to cleanup the mess
and score. That shot keyed a
9-1 run for the Gamecocks
that would ultimately be
enough cushion for the win.
While Balkman dominated
the Crimson Tide defense,
Kelley and Alabama guard
Ronald Steele provided a
spotlight of the two of the
best guards in not only the
I
SEC but the country.
“I do think that Ronald
Steele is one of the best, if
not the best point guards in
our league,” Odom said. “(I
told Tre’) the one that wins
tonight is not necessarily
the one that scores the most
points. It’s the one that’s
going to direct his team at
the offensive and defensive
ends throughout.”
Kelley, who hit a three
around the five minute mark
to put USC up 13, finished
the night with 12 points
but more importantly eight
assists. Steele, who finished
with 13 points and six assists,
committed three turnovers.
“When I came here, I
wanted to prove a lot of
people wrong and show that
I could run the basketball
team on this level,” Kelley
said. “Most of the time I
don’t worry about who’s this
or who’s that in the league.
I just come out and play my
game.”
The win keeps the flicker
hopes of an NCAA berth
in March alive for the
Gamecocks, who play four of
the next five games at home.
If the streak continues, USC
could be on the bubble for
the big dance.
“The biggest thing
about the weekend is the
game (against Kentucky).
We cannot lose focus on
the game,” Odom said.
“Kentucky’s always a difficult
team to play, particularly
when their backs against the
wall. And that’s where they
are now.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@giom.se. edu
Join Amenta's #1 Student Tour Operator
UNCUN ACAPULCO JAMAICA
Don't Get Left Behind!
BOOK TODAY!
»l — —
yBJLiiPoui/aB
3$ Greek
§| Update I
^B ^HFor^ eir involvemenT oM iHjrbtli&t^i
m reb ing schools in Dillion SC. “
^E*For the u performace ofZach Ba
*For the Ivement of their brothe
\ »For their to the improvement of their
I the recognifon of
iity of the Month |
j ALP GA
_ i ■ ■ fm Ml' , Jfe
—r ja—
Inviting keep worki ard to make
our Gre tern better awarding
them a ck to their nth ropy as
well as congratulating thfeir nationals.
VBnBBBHBHD