2B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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SPORTS
OLYMPICS
Charles Krupa/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ted Ligety of the United States, left, the gold medal winner and bronze medalist Rainer Schoefelder of Austria, right, watch as silver medalist Vica Kostelec of Croatia performs a handstand before the flower ceremony for the Men's Combined at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Sestriere Colle, Italy, Tuesday.
First-time Olympian steps up
Ted Ligety wins gold in men's combined
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15. 2006
BY BOB BAUM
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SESTRIERE, Italy — Young Ted Ligety gave the United States the Olympic gold medal that Bode Miller couldn't deliver Tuesday night, uncorking two dynamic slalom runs to win the men's combined and break the Americans' bad luck in Alpine skiing.
The 21-year-old skier from Park City, Utah, in his first Olympics, had a combined time of 3 minutes. 9.35 seconds for the downhill and two slalom runs. Ivica Kostelic of Croatia won the silver medal, 53-hundredths of a second behind the American at 3:09.88. Rainer Schoenfelder of Austria captured the bronze at 3:10.67.
Austrian favorite Benjamin Raich, the leader going into the final slalom run, skied off course, setting off a red-white-and-blue celebration at the finish area.
"It's incredible," Ligety said. "I can't believe it (happened) in combined because I'm not very good in downhill."
He said it would have been even better if Raich had finished.
"I would prefer to win standing up to him." Ligety said.
U. S. skiers Steven Nyman and Scott Macartney tackled Ligety, and the three teammates rolled in the snow together. They rose, and Ligety waved an American flag while he was propped on the others' shoulders.
"I'm not surprised he's on the podium," U.S. men's coach Phil McNichol said. "I'm a bit surprised he won gold."
It was only the fourth Olympic Alpine gold medal ever for U.S. men.
Ligety burst onto the world scene with two thirds and a second in this, his second World Cup season, and it seemed only a question of when, not if he would be a winner.
It couldn't have come at a better time for the frustrated Americans.
"You've just got to get in the
starting gate and throw down whatever you've got," Ligety said.
What he had was two near-flawless slalom runs—the night's fastest at 43.84 seconds in his clinching second run and 44.09 seconds in the first, .01 slower than the best time of that leg.
On the final run, he attacked the steep part of the course at the start but gained most of his time with a sweep through the middle section, dashing between gates with a perfect aggressive rhythm.
Miller was disqualified for straddling a gate in the first run, just
when he seemed to have built a commanding lead for his elusive first Olympic gold medal.
The disqualification gave the lead temporarily to Raich, who had trailed Miller by nearly a second.
The U.S. team decided not to protest
"We looked at it enough times," said program director Jesse Hunt. "We're satisfied."
"I've straddled probably more times that most people have finished the slalom," he told reporters at the bottom of the run.
Miller was nonchalant.
"If it's clear,it's clear," Miller said.
OLYMPICS
Gretzky's link to alleged gambling could distract team
BY ALAN ROBINSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TURINO, Italy — Finally,
what Canada has been waiting
for: hockey.
Or discussion about possible distractions for the play-
No more talk about Wayne Gretzky's link to an alleged gambling ring — OK, at least until he pokes his head into one of the two rinks at the Turin Olympics.
sible distraction ers, who make up what may be the best Canadian Olympic team ever.
They say what's going on with Gretzky has nothing to do with them winning another gold.
"T
The players are pretty much insulated here. Distractions don't matter to them. They're here to play the game... and they're ready to play."
A New Jersey-based gambling investigation alleges Rick Tocchet, Gretzky's top assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes, financed an illegal betting ring that supposably drew $1.7 million in bets in the weeks leading to the Super Bowl.
Wayne Gretzky Executive Director of Team Canada
were among the highest ever in the country.
And this team, put together mostly by executive director Gretzky, is seen as the gold medal favorite.
Gretzky said after arriving Tuesday, "Distractions don't matter to them. They're here to play the game ... and they're ready to play."
The games start today with Canada playing Italy in what could be a 10-goal game or more.
The Olympics stir a Super Bowl-like reaction in Canada, only everybody roots for the same team. TV ratings for Canada's gold-medal win in 2002
The United States, silver medalists in 2002 in Salt Lake City while Canada won its first gold in 50 years, takes on Latvia in the first of its five round-robin games in pool play.
Gretzky has not been questioned, but his wife, actress Janet Jones, is alleged to have placed bets with the group.
And the timing couldn't have been worse — leading one Canadian newspaper to question
if the probe was intentionally timed to hurt Canada's chances and improve the United States' in the Olympics.
The NHL only wishes Americans paid such close attention to hockey.
Canada's players are acting as if Gretzky's troubles aren't their own, since he won't be taking any shifts or leading any oddman rushes — even though, at age 45, the NHL's all-time leading scorer probably could.
"We're excited he's coming and that he'll be a part of that," team captain Joe Sakic said. "I know people are trying to bring up, 'What's going on with Wayne?' ... It's not an issue."
Homemade Cheesecake THROUGH MARCH! we take Beak 'Em Bucks
KU HALL CENTER Humanities Lecture Series 2005-2006 This event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.
Scott Turow
One of America's most distinguished writers about the law; a criminal defense lawyer in his native Chicago; author of Presumed Innocent; Reversible Errors; and Ordinary Heroes
"Confessions of a Death Penalty Agnostic"
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 16
Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union
785. 864.4798 www.hallcenter.ku.edu