Ted Ligety announces retirement

After 15 years on the World Cup stage, American Ted Ligety has announced his retirement. His last race will be the giant slalom at the FIS World Ski Championships in Cortina.

Ligety spend much of the last decade as the face of the U.S. men’s ski team. His gold medal tally is impressive with seven combined victories at the Olympics and FIS World Ski Championships. He is still the only American man to win two Olympic gold medals.

The 36 year-old Ligety cited wanting to spend more time with his family as the reason for the decision. Ligety has a son, Jax and twin seven-month-old sons with his wife Mia.

At his peak, Ligety carved out a reputation as Mr. G.S as he was an unstoppable force in the discipline. He was one of the first athletes to crack the then-new GS ski regulations, and one of the most vocal against the change in the rules. He went on to win the small globe five times in the Giant Slalom with both ski radius regulations in place.

He first hit the bigtime during the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, when he sprung from 32nd place after the first run of the Alpine Combined to claim the gold. Eight year’s later, Ligety entered the Sochi Olympics as the gold medal favorite in the Giant Slalom and did not disappoint, claiming his second Olympic gold medal.

But a string of injuries shortly after Sochi, put an end to Ligety’s dominance, with his last victory coming in 2015. Nevertheless, he has remained a mainstay on the World Cup tour, always generating buzz whether he started in the top-20 or later.

FIS would like to wish Ted all the best for him and his family in the future.