Fog postpones women’s super-G; Ligety announces retirement

These words apparently don’t want to start.

After snow wiped out Monday’s super-combined, the fog rolled in for the super-G on Tuesday in Cortina, Italy, postponing the FIS World Alpine Ski Championships for a second straight day, as Vail’s Mikaela Shiffrin is still waiting to begin her worlds.

In the meantime, the U.S. Ski Team is saying goodbye to another of its legends. Ted Ligety announced that he is retiring from Alpine skiing with the running of the giant slalom one week from Friday.

The New York Times first reported Ligety’s news.

The original start time for the super-G was 5 a.m. Mountain time or 1 p.m. in Cortina. Italy’s Marta Bassino was due out first, but not long before she was going to go, the fog rolled in. As with every stop on tour, there is a lower weather start at Cortina. The race got moved down to that point and then went by the boards at 6:30 a.m. Colorado time (2:30 p.m. in Italy).

Support Local Journalism

Donate

Aaaaaand the super-G is officially canceled here in @cortina2021. Dang. #cortina2021

— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) February 9, 2021

Wednesday was meant to be the men’s combined, although Dan Hicks of NBC Sports did say that there is a 90 percent chance of precipitation in the forecast. Apparently FIS agreed.

Wednesday’s men’s combined is now on Monday with the previously rescheduled women’s combined. Thursday is now doubleheader super-G day. The women will race at 2:45 a.m. Mountain time, followed by the men at 5 a.m. NBC Sports Newtork and/or Peacock Premium are your television sources.

As for Ligety, it’s surprising and not surprising simultaneously. Simply put, he’s “Mr. GS,” as his ultimate rival Marcel Hirscher dubbed him. Ligety leaves with 25 World Cup wins as well as five titles at worlds, including a rare triple-gold in Schladming, Austria, in 2013, as well as Olympic gold in the 2006 combined and the 2014 GS.

Ligety won five World Cups at Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek and finished that run with the third of his world championships in the giant slalom in 2015.

After seven victories in Olympic and world championship races and 15 years as one of ski racing’s elite performers, Ligety decided he wanted to spend more time with his growing family. https://t.co/14ZFWs9EGc

— NYT Sports (@NYTSports) February 9, 2021

Ostensibly, Ligety is retiring from skiing to spend more time with his family, including his three sons. Ligety has also struggled with his health during the last five years and has not won on tour since October 2015 in Soelden, Austria.

That gap takes nothing away from his five World Cup GS globes in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014. Ligety leaves as the fourth-winningest American on the World Cup, only behind Lindsey Vonn, Shiffrin and Bode Miller.