American · Salt Lake City, Utah, USA · Born 31 August 1984American alpine skier nicknamed 'Mr. GS', a two-time Olympic champion and the most successful giant slalom specialist in U.S. history.
Theodore Sharp Ligety was born on 31 August 1984 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and grew up in nearby Park City, beginning to ski at age two and race competitively at ten. Inspired by watching the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, he progressed through the Park City Ski Team and the Winter Sports School before joining the U.S. Ski Team's development squad in 2004, funded in part by his parents paying $10,000 for his spot. Ligety's breakthrough came at the 2006 Turin Olympics, where, trailing in 22nd after the downhill portion of the combined, he produced two blistering slalom runs to steal gold as a major underdog, becoming the first American man to win an Olympic alpine skiing title in 12 years. He then built the rest of his career around giant slalom, developing a distinctive wide-arc carving technique that the New York Times said had 'practically invented a new way of skiing.' He won five World Cup giant slalom season titles between 2008 and 2014 and a sixth crystal globe in combined, and at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming he swept gold in giant slalom, super-G, and combined, becoming the first skier since Jean-Claude Killy in 1968 to win three golds at a single World Championships. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Ligety won giant slalom gold to become the first American to top the podium in that event, and a year later he claimed a third consecutive World Championship giant slalom title, a feat no skier had achieved before. Persistent back and knee injuries curtailed his final seasons, and he retired in February 2021 after withdrawing from what would have been his last World Championships, finishing with 25 World Cup victories, 52 podiums, and two Olympic gold medals in two different events - a distinction shared with only one other American man. Away from racing, he co-founded the eyewear and helmet brand Shred Optics in 2006.
Reinventing giant slalom technique with his wide-arc carving style, and becoming the first American to win Olympic gold in two different alpine skiing events
How They Played
Technical giant slalom specialist renowned for wide, high-edge-angle carved turns that generated exceptional speed through gates
Lasting Impact
Remembered as the greatest giant slalom skier of the modern era and a technical innovator whose skiing style influenced a generation of racers worldwide
Career Honours
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist (2006 Combined, 2014 Giant Slalom)
- 5x World Championship Gold Medalist
- 6x World Cup Crystal Globes (5 Giant Slalom, 1 Combined)
- First skier since Jean-Claude Killy (1968) to win 3 golds at one World Championships
American Athletes