Fansided

Skier Ted Ligety feeling confident about his chances going into his fourth Olympics

By Veronica Elizabeth Bruno

PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 06: United States alpine skier Ted Ligety attends a press conference at the Main Press Centre during previews ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 6, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Ker Robertson/Getty Images)
PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 06: United States alpine skier Ted Ligety attends a press conference at the Main Press Centre during previews ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 6, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Ker Robertson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Coming off a podium finish at the World Cup, two-time American gold medalist Ted Ligety is geared up to compete at Pyeonchang, South Korea, where he won his first World Cup gold medal 12 years ago. This time, he’s arriving with wife and baby in tow.

Ted Ligety is considered the veteran on Team USA’s alpine skiing team, competing in his fourth Olympics. He won his first Olympic gold at the Turin Games in the combined event, then became the first male U.S. skiier with two Olympic gold medals by winning the giant slalom in Sochi in 2014.

But the last few years have been difficult for the top skier, after a series of injuries that included a torn knee ligament in 2016 and back surgery in 2017, the same year his baby Jax was born. Now seven months old, he is traveling with the 33-year-old first-time dad and world class athlete. Ligety recently placed in the top three at the World Cup, making it to the podium for the first time since 2016, a positive sign for Olympic competition.

Before he hits the slopes in Korea, Ligety talked with FanSided about preparing for the Winter Games after injury and the challenges of traveling with a baby in his fourth Olympics.

FanSided: How much does the World Cup top-three finish mean going into the Winter Games?

Ted Ligety (TL): I think it’s definitely nice to be on the podium in the last race before the Olympics. It’s a confidence booster. I think my skiing has gotten a lot better and I still think there’s more work to be done. We’re getting it all straightened out and getting ready.

FanSided: You won your first World Cup on the very same hill you’ll be skiing in Pyeonchang. Will this bring a bit of good luck?

TL: I’m actually psyched to go back to that hill. It’s been 12 years since I’ve raced [there]. I’m the defending champion on that hill. It’s pretty cool to go back to a place where I had my first world cup win. I have good memories of that hill. I think that really suits my technique and style of skiing really well. I’ll probably be the only person who’s actually raced on that hill. Even though it’s been 12 years, hopefully it will give me a little bit of an advantage.

FanSided: But a lot’s changed. This is the first Olympics you’re traveling with your newborn.

TL: It’s been really fun. It’s cool to be able to have him on the road and come off the hill and be able to spend time with him. With our schedule, not to being able to come home for almost 6 months straight, and to not have him on the road with me, it’s been especially tough. It’s cool to have him over here.

FanSided: How is that different?

TL: A couple of extra bags [laughs]. It’s just different. We’ve been able to figure it out. He crawls around. He’s just a wild little kid. When we get to the hotel room, we have to figure out what’s in his reach and what to move out of the way. It’s really, actually, nice to have that. It’s a good way to come off the hill and be able to have him there.

FanSided: How is Jax inspiring your fourth Olympic run?

TL: It is really special having him along. It’s nice to have that sense of comfort and home and having my wife and him on the road, and being able to share this experience with him. It’s definitely a grounder, that’s for sure. It’s a good way to keep things in perspective.

FanSided: You also dealt with recovering from back surgery last year while getting ready for a newborn in the house. How did you cope?

More from Winter Olympics

TL: I had a tough couple of years. I tore my ACL two winters ago and then just as I was coming back from that, I was having bad sciatic. I had back issues the last couple of years and I ended up having to stop skiing last December. I ended up getting back surgery, and it was frustrating. At that point, my son was yet to be born, which was good because after back surgery, I couldn’t lift more than 10 pounds for a couple of weeks, so that would have been tough to have a newborn and not be able to pick him up. Luckily, the timing as far as that worked out. The back surgery was basically three months until I was able to start training on the snow again on a pretty high level. That recovery was a lot easier than the knee surgery was. That went pretty smoothly, and now I’m feeling healthier than I’ve felt in years.

FanSided: How fully fit are you now?

TL: I feel great. Better than I felt in I don’t know how many years. I haven’t had any back issues this year. I feel younger right now than I have in four or five years. That’s a bonus, for sure. I’d say things are going great right now.

FanSided: You see other veteran athletes like Tom Brady and Roger Federer staying on top as older athletes. How are older sports stars out-competing their younger challengers?

TL: I think physical therapy and the health and nutrition have really allowed athletes to stick around longer. That’s been really important as far as coming back from injury just as strong as you were before. It also helps keeping your body in better running shape for a longer period of time. I’m 33, and there’s been plenty of athletes that have been on the podium or won races in their late 30s. I feel like I still have a few good years left in me.

FanSided: This is your fourth Olympics. How is your physical preparation different this go around?

TL: It’s always a little bit different based on your schedule, but I’m used to it. This time around, I’ve had to be smarter in my approach than I have in years past with my injuries and try to stay healthier. Once you’re getting older, you have to train a little bit different in regards to how you treat your body. I’ve always been kind of a hammerhead in the gym in years past, but now I definitely take more time to really get into the mobility side of things, with small core exercises, the stuff that’s not hard physically but stuff that’s important to keep your body running.

We’ll go check out other sporting events that are going on. I’m a big fan of watching the free skiing side of things, it’s something that I like to check out. The Americans have done very well in the past Olympics. I’ll draw some inspiration from what those guys are doing. And [check out] the atmosphere of the Olympics. It will be fun to be able to view those things with my family. My parents are coming over as well. And my brother and his wife as well. It will be great to have that group of people around.

Ted Ligety is partnering with NABISCO, the maker of some of America’s favorite snacks including OREO, RITZ and Chips Ahoy!, to celebrate the unique and special “Can’t Miss Moments” that bring us together during the Olympic Winter Games.

Olympic alpine skiing coverage begins on Saturday, Feb. 10, on the NBC networks.

Home/Winter Olympics