Ligety Wins US' 1st Giant Slalom Gold

After lousy finishes in both the men's super-combined and super-G skiing events, Sochi was looking like a bust for Ted Ligety—until today. Ligety became the first American ever to earn a gold medal in the men's giant slalom, according to Bleacher Report. Ligety came in as the favorite, and had an incredible 1.5-second lead after his first run. He finished with a combined time of 2:45.29, which was .48 seconds better than silver medalist Steve "The Missile" Missillier of France, and 0.64 better than Alexis Pinturault, also of France.

Utah native Ligety has now won two gold medals, putting him in a club with only one other American skier—Andrea Mead-Lawrence, who won two back in 1952, USA Today points out. Skiing stars like Picabo Street, Bode Miller, and Lindsey Vonn all won only a single gold. "To be able to do that is awesome," Ligety said. "The first gold came a lot easier." (More Ted Ligety stories.)