Alta Badia, Italy –Reigning Audi FIS Alpine World Cup and World giant slalom champion Ted Ligety fell .01 seconds short of the Alta Badia podium Sunday, after finishing fourth behind Italian winner Massimiliano Blardone.

Ligety, of Park City, Utah, who was leading after the first run by .49, retained the discipline lead 330-265 over Austrian Marcel Hirscher, who finished fifth on the day.

“It felt OK but it didn’t go as well as it should have,” said a frustrated Ligety. “Both of us (Hirscher) underperformed today. He lost almost as much time in the second run as I did. 1.7 is inexcusable to lose to anybody no matter what the snow conditions are like. We both should have been a lot faster than that and we both are capable of a lot more than that. It’s frustrating and he’s equally as pissed as I am.”

“Ted lost the gas pedal a little bit on the second run and just in general is capable of skiing so much better,” added Sasha Rearing, the U.S. Ski Team men’s Head Coach. “Both he and Hirscher lost speed on the bottom and Ted got a little gift with Hirscher finishing behind him. It was a tough race today physically. The first course was a huge physical challenge and the second run was completely the opposite with a really fast set, but you had to work really hard from top to bottom on both to be fast.”

Sunday’s win was Blardone’s third in Alta Badia after finishing atop the podium in this Italian ski resort previously in 2005 and again in 2009. The Gran Risa slope is the longest giant slalom course on the World Cup tour. Ligety has finished 1-2-1-4 in the first of nine scheduled giant slalom races this season.

Bode Miller, of Franconia, N.H., was 16th and Reno, Nev.’s Tim Jitloff 18th as Tommy Ford, of Bend, Ore., skied out in the second run.

“I don’t know what exactly it was. Both those guys (Ford and Miller) were skiing OK before the bottom but it’s just not an easy run, and after a first run that’s 1:30 it’s pretty taxing,” explained Ligety.

“Bode was hammering up top with good aggressive skiing and went on his hip over the pitch. He did a great job getting back on his feet and within two or three turns was right back in the rhythm looking for speed,” said Rearick. “Both Tommy and Jit were skiing aggressive, but didn’t bring enough back on the dealy over the roll at the bottom. That was the one spot where we lost a little bit of time on the first run. The boys wanted to go in there aggressive and they just didn’t pull it off.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup
Alta Badia, Italy – Dec. 18, 2011
Men’s Giant Slalom