17/02/2013 Ski Sunday

Hello and welcome to Ski Sunday. We are in Schladming where the World

Championships are about to reach their conclusion. The most I will

us trious races in the world have convened for a summit meeting like

no other. The leaders of speed have triumphed

on the mountain. Terrific skiing from Svindal.

it's the turn of the Kings of slalom to enter the fray.

heroes of today will be brushing shoulders with giants. In a at this

time and a -- Titanic struggle for Later in the show we will be

catching up with Britain's big name in skiing slope-style, James Woods.

Amy Williams went to meet up with the freestyler from Sheffield.

we will have high Boots of the men's slalom. It's on Ski Sunday

extra, press your red button after the show. First, it's time for the

big one, and the clue is in the title, it's giant slalom. Who

better to talk to than Mr GS himself, Ted Ligety. I started

skiing when I was two in Utah, that's where I grew up.

Go, Teddy! I started racing when I was ten years old and started

loving it from then on and made the mountain when I was 18. From boy to

man, from man to world champion. Ted Ligety has matured into a

dominant force. The American has been unstoppable this winter and he

is the talk of the town. Ligety, the big favourite for the men's

giant slalom. He can do damage when he gets it right. I had a chance,

but I didn't think I was going to win it, no, that's definite lay

surprise for me -- definitely a surprise for me. He is risking

everything. I was hammering, trying as hard as I could to make as much

speed. It was difficult in those kind of conditions. Ligety is

getting closer. That's one of the cooler days of my career, that's

for sure, especially because it's so unexpected. Good line for

Ligety! And he's got it! He leads for the USA. Not content with a

super-G world title he added the super-combined Crown to his

collection this week. Can he add to his gold medal? That's brilliant

from Ligety. He knows that was clean and he knows that was fast.

Ligety has a third World Championship gold in his sights.

He's known as Mr GS for good reason. Dominating the World Cup so far

this winter, but there's one man standing in his way. Hirscher takes

the win. Marcel and I are definitely neck-and-neck often

times in GS. He's pushed me a lot in the last couple of years. He's

been able to push me to a new level in GS because he's always skiing at

such a high level, his consistency is strong that it pushes me to have

to work harder. The biggest lesson is I have tried to learn thousand

ski with no re-- how to ski with no regrets. I want to be happy with

the way I approached the race. It's giant slalom time. I like the

way he works it, Ted Ligety, can anyone beat him. Four wins out of

five this season. Ligety is the stone cold favourite. There is one

threat. It comes in the form of Marcel. I love comparing their

different techniques. Ligety is rangy, very hippie and Hirscher

uses his knees more. Ligety's already won the super-G and we know

Hirscher is the favourite in the slalom. Is this the middle ground?

It is and last season Hirscher took Ligety's world title. You have to

say that Ligety's again I think favourite for this. Ligety has been

winning by some huge margins. Massive, massive leads on the first

run. Over two seconds ahead. That's like being ten nil up in the

Champions League at half-time. time to get this race under way.

Giant slalom is contested over two runs. The fastest skier from the

first leg will ski last in the second leg. Matt Chilton has the

the early hours. Ticket touts have been doing a roaring trade. Still

no individual golds for Austria. Can Marcel Hirscher rescue the host

nation today? Svindal on his way. World champion

in 2007. The championships were held in Sweden. He picked up two

medals this year. He is the world champion in downhill. Took the

bronze in the super-G. In recent seasons his giant slalom form

hasn't been quite as good as it was three or four years ago.

He has the advantage of going first. A clean track for the multitalented

Norwegian. Nice turns so far. The course has

been set by one of the Austrian coaches. You can bet your bottom

dollar that it's been set to favour Marcel Hirscher. Svindal, a good

run here. No mistakes so far. He's got good speed. Through the

undergate. Now heads down to the steep final pitch. Got them a

little bit wide. Lots of noise to welcome Svindal,

hugely popular. Very likeable man. Here he comes.

Finishes the first run with a time of 1.14.44. Pretty good run.

Alexis Pinturault from France. The French have had a good

championships. A gold in the women's downhill. He is making a

meal of this course. He's had big battles this season in giant slalom

with Marcel Hirscher. Pinturault is just behind but only by a fraction,

off the pace of Svindal at time number one.

Best chance of a gold probably comes in the final event of the

World Championships, the men's slalom.

500ths behind. Good work so far from Pinturault. Half-Norwegian and

half-French. Still in touch.

Turns are looking slightly laboured now.

Top 30 will go in reverse order in the second run. He needs to be up

near the leaders to give himself a reigning world champion. He has

already won two gold medals here in Schladming. In the modern era no

man has won more gold gold medals in a single world World

Championships, could Ted become the first man since 1968 to win three

golds? Ted Ligety for the United States of

America. On his way. The ski dimensions have

changed this season. Ligety was really vocal in his opposition to

any change. It only applied to the giant slalom skis. Ironically, he

is the man who's adapted best to the new ski shape. He's dominated

this discipline this season. Look at the time difference! After

25 seconds, he's 0.68 in front. Ligety cruising here. What a

championships he is having. He won the gold in the super-G and took a

second title in the super-combined. He is in the process of destroying

Svindal's first run time. More than a second in front.

Ligety gets them sideways with a little steering pivot and power

drift. Incredible skills to pull that off. Another drift.

Ligety so far in a different league. Look at the time difference. 1.30

faster. Fritz Dopfer is next to race. He's

never won a World Cup giant slalom but he's come close this season.

Should he win today perhaps the Austrian crowd will claim him as

their own. Fritz Dopfer of Germany. Standing tall, sliding the skis

back and forwards. Now he goes. Out into the course, a very long

demanding first run the Austrian coach has set. Let's see if Dopfer

can do damage to leg Ligety's time? -- to Ligety's time. It's unlikely

because it was fantastic from the American. He has been the 4th best

giant slalom skier in the World Cup this season. He was runner-up to

Ligety at the last World Cup race into provisional second place.

Absorbing the little changes in the terrain. It's flat-like all the way.

No sunshine to give him a guiding light here. Still good enough

potentially for second place behind Ted Ligety. He can't afford any

mistakes coming on to this steep final pitch and he is a bit late in

the line. Jamming the skis sideways. Nowhere near as good in terms of

anticipation of the next turn as Ligety was. 1.58 slower than Ligety.

Marcel Hirscher is next. Just last week he was Alpine Personality of

The Year. He helped Austria win team competition and is hot

favourite for the slalom. He's played second fiddle to Ligety in

GS this season. But should Ted slip up, you can bet he will be there to

take advantage. Marcel Hirscher of Austria in the

start gate and on his way. The course has been set with Hirscher

in mind by his coach and these are fine turns at the top. Looking for

the tuck wherever possible. Carving a good line. The only man apart

from Ted Ligety to have won a World Cup giant slalom this season. He

took the GS on 9th December. He is a little off the pace, though, as

Hirscher gets low. Tries to carve in an aerodynamic position. Good

speed. Jams the skis sideways. He might

have lost another 10th. Hirscher is now now 1.3 off the pace. Turns

slightly laboured in the middle part of the course.

It's going to require a second run charge for him to get in amongst

the medals. He is way off the racing line.

Fatigue starting to play its part now. Six turns to go.

Ligety's lead is safe. It's a question of how close Hirscher can

Close enough for third. 1.31 seconds off the lead of Ligety.

Manfred Moelgg of Italy. Third in the World Cup standings this season.

He's been consistent and he could feature in the medals. He needs to

get this first run right. It's all about Ted Ligety. Moelgg, this is

OK from the Italians. Good anticipation of the change in

terrain from Moelgg. He got in trouble there! A bit of freestyle

making a turn on the inside ski. Great athletism to recover but the

time damage has been done. More than a second adrift. He now trails

by 1.27. Last few turns on the steep. Has he got the strength to

keep them carving? Here we go. races in this discipline generally.

A comes into the world championships in position No. 8 so

far this season. Had a nasty incident in training in South

America last summer, when he got hit by a giant slalom gate and it

punctured his stomach. Some nice pace and he needs to be in a second

here. Just over a second down. Looks good for a place in the top

three at the end of the first room for the Italian. Italy still

looking for their first gold medal Simoncelli, gives himself a good

chance in the next run. A on the first front turn Liberty

gave a masterclass, showing how well he has adapted to the new

regulation skis. The radius of these skis is much longer so they

don't carve as tight a turn. He had to do some interesting moves on the

final finish a steep to stay on course, pivoting his skis and

hammering hard on the edges. It wasn't perhaps the quickest but it

kept him online. The giant slalom the second run with the top 30

going in reverse order, which means turn -- Ted Ligety will be the last

man on the mountain. This is the bronze medallist from the garnish

World Championships two years ago in giant slalom. Can you hold his

nerve now? He has to focus on the course and not on the red and white

which awaits him round the next corner. He is nearly a full second

in front. Solid Jaylene slalom skiing. On to the final pitch.

Working hard. It is a nice rhythmical finish and he has still

got a big green light in his favour, a full second in front. A good run

from Schoerghofer. A nice top section from Pinturault, finishing

the turn right on the gate. Nothing wrong so far and he has added to

his advantage. Just over half the second in front. So this is a good

in the middle section. Then he got a bit late, a big plume of snow off

the edge of his skis and his lead has been reduced to just over a

quarter of a second. The crowd like what they have seen. Things going

wrong for Pinturault, it looks like he has run out of steam. Only four

hundredth, which way will it go? He has got it, three tenths in front.

He will have been a little disappointed with his first run but

he certainly laid down a good second run here and the French have

been having an amazing World Championships here in Schladming.

That will be a difficult time to beat. Certainly the race is on for

silver and bronze. We are just nothing gained, nothing lost. This

is where Pinturault made his mistakes, in the middle part of the

course. Still in there, 17 hundredths might be starting to

wobble, looking vulnerable now, and it has gone red for the Italian.

Pinturault Fourth's lead appears to In fifth position after the first

room. He looks tentative over his skis. I am not sure this is

aggressive enough to really push for a medal. He is already behind.

His advantage has been wiped out during the top 15 turns. It is not

over for Dopfer but he can't afford any mistakes. This one will go down

to the wire. He is looking at a bit stiff in his upper-body. I don't

think he can fight back from this sort of deficit. Tucking in for the

line, he has missed his chance. Pinturault, still in gold medal

position. Manfred Moelgg used a bit of knowledge and that was a lucky

escape, he skidded sideways. How much damage has that dumb to his

time. -- Dom to his time? The flat section here, this is where the

leader's run started to unravel. The crowd would love to see Manfred

Moelgg get on to the podium and this is looking possible. They

can't split them. Dead level with Pinturault. Tucking in to take

first position. He is in gold medal spot.

Manfred Moelgg made a mistake on the top part of the course, and as

Ligety was explaining to me before the race, if you make a mistake

with these skis, because they are so stiff and long, it takes quite a

few gates to get them back. Manfred Moelgg was able to pick up time

near the finish but that earlier mistake could be costly.

Marcel Hirscher is ready to race to salvage some Austrian pride. He was

third after the first run, outclassed by Ted Ligety, but he

through the top 20 turns and now leading by 0.79. It is approaching

fever-pitch in the finish as the Austrians watch Marcel Hirscher

attack the bottom part of the course. He is on his way to a medal

in the world championship giant slalom. House to stay on his feet.

He is anticipating every section of second, and they are going crazy in

Schladming. A huge cheer from the Austrian fans, they know they are

at least guaranteed a medal here. Marcel Hirscher had a great run.

I'm not sure if it will be enough to beat Ted Ligety at his best, but

enough to get Brahms or silver. -- bronze. Aksel Lund Svindal's

advantage is just one 10th of the second. Good aggression at the top,

he really means business here, hoping to add to the gold and

bronze he has already pocketed at the World Championships. The

technical demands of the mid- part Lund Svindal. He is beginning to

look clumsy, and into the red now. Hence the sudden crescendo, as they

can sense that Marcel Hirscher is just one step away from taking the

gold. He skis into third position, with just Ligety to come. At least

the silver-medal form Marcel Hirscher now.

Aksel Lund Svindal really lost it on the steep section. I think he

would prefer the turns to be over a longer radius. He is very powerful

but can't carve a tight line as some of the other skiers. He will

have to wait and see, but lying in third place so far. With Ligety

having such a big advantage to come, I think he will miss out on a medal.

1.31 seconds is the enormous lead Ted liberty has coming into this

second run as he goes for the hat- trick of gold medals. The last man

to do that at a major championships did it in 1968 at the Olympic

Winter Games. Ligety continues to move up. Absolutely sensational

That's his first mistake. Might have cost him a 10th but it won't

cost him the gold. 1.68 in front, despite the mistakes. Ligety looks

good for gold medal number three. He will break Austrian hearts here.

1.59. Fantastic from Ligety. He can afford a mistake.

He will still win the World Championship giant slalom. Ligety's

got it! What a run! What a magnificent performance.

If I had to be a little bit picky I would say Ted backed off down the

last ten gates. He knew that he had a massive lead. He skied the top

part of the course really aggressively, attacking, actually

picked up time on Hirscher and the last ten gates into the finish he

didn't want any mistakes and came across the line to take the victory.

Perfect giant slalom skiing. Ted Ligety has made history by

becoming the first male skier in the modern era to win three gold

medals. Hirscher came close but has to settle for silver. This week has

been unbelievable. It's something that far, far exceeds my

expectations, for sure. You know, it's far and away the best week of

ski racing in my life, that's for sure. Huge amount of pressure

wearing that current champion bib. Did that have any effect on you?

Definitely felt the pressure, for sure. You know, being the defending

world champion and also having won two gold medals already was

definitely a lot of pressure. So, you know, I was able to follow

through. The celebrations will go on at long into the night. The

World Championships are nearly at an end and the partying will begin

very soon. Seems like it all of the championships when the

superstar of women's skiing suffered a terrible leg injury in

the controversial super-G event. my word Vonn is down and she hit

the deck hard! She has since had surgery in the States and says

she's hopeful of making it back in time for the Olympics next year.

Overall World Cup leader Marsi. Reiss scores into gold medal

position for Germany. Then it was time for the big one, the race that

would light up the championships, the men's downhill. Although the

crowd will have to wait a little while longer for a home grown

winner the race itself did not disappoint.

In challenging conditions it was nor Norwegian skiing's poster boy.

In the women's race there was no shortage of drama. She's got it,

what a brilliant run. That became the double gold for France. Martsi

picked up silver. In the slalom. There's no doubting the star of

2013, not since the 1960s has anyone won three world titles.

Ligety makes a bit of history. Ligety is the super-G, super-

combined and GS world champion. And now a member of a very exclusive

club. With nine golds already decided

only one remains, and if the drama lives up to the rest of the battles

we witnessed on this this hill, it's going to be one to remember.

Don't forget you can see that final World Championship slalom on Ski

Sunday Extra. Before that, Amy Williams travelled to Switzerland

to meet freestyle skier James Woods. He is currently ranked number one

in the world in ski slope-style, an event that will make its Olympic

debut at Sochi next year. Could he be on the verge of winning

Britain's first ever gold medal on not even hit the features the way

they're built to be hit, innovation and creativity. That's what the

sport is. It's a free sport. You can't teach

someone exactly how this is done. It's like use your own natural,

bigger you go, the better. Execution of the tricks, whatever

you are going to do, do it really well. Technical difficulty. Style.

Innovation. When something new happens, it's just wow! I think you

have got the most amount of energy and buzz coming from you now that I

can feel that you just love your sport. Yeah, for sure. It's amazing.

I hope that everyone finds that thing they're passionate about. For

me it's just having fun and I seem to have the most fun when I am

skiing. Watch this! Every time you go up

and try something new, that satisfaction is just... It's inside

and if you get a medal at the end, then bonus. Yeah. You got the last

two World Cup medals? Yeah, there's been three World Cups, just

travelling from the last one. I got the first two gold medals. The

third one - I got top ten. And two gold golds. I qualified for the

Olympics now. I don't want to just be a British person that qualifies

for the winter Olympics and gets there and gives it a bash. Because

I - you know, it's all about taking part, that is the Olympic dream but

at the end of the day you want to go and give it your thing for

yourself and for your country and stuff. My goal is to not qualify

for the Olympics, but absolutely smash it.

It's hard when people say are you going to get a medal? Everyone

knows as an athlete it's the question you don't want to say in

your heart of course you are going ski resort, thought we would show

you a little bit of what I get up to day-to-day. Now we are

completely crammed. Do you find you are having to to skopb stapbt --

having to battle constantly for space? I am lucky, this slope is a

holiday, it's amazing. But on a day-to-day, as much as the holiday-

makers are bringing it all in and it's great and keep skiing,

sometimes it's like oh, man, I just want to get up there and go again

What's going to happen? What are you going to show us? A couple

first and move on to kickers. get ready and I will come and

into it before you go off and do your completely crazy stuff? Well,

I started on a dry slope started skiing and giving it a go. I joined

a ski club because it was the easiest, I learned skiing and

snowboarding together. It took a little bit to hit some rails but

once I did, you know, like it's just the whole thing. You can do

whatever you want. There's no regimes. As long as you keep it wb

your -- within your ability and keep it safe, like know what tkoubg

and know your level -- like know what you can do and know your level,

be the Winter Olympics season, how do you think you are going to cope

with that pressure? Have you a little stra taoepblg kwreub plan?

- strategic plan? There is sa lot of pressure. There's always TV

cameras, a lot of great interest which is incredible, you know,

because people are interested in what we are doing and we couldn't

ask for more. But for the Olympics it's the pinnacle in sport. It is

going to be a lot of pressure but I have always said it when people

have asked me this question, there's no pressure that anyone

else, even everyone in the world, my whole country can put on me,

that is greater than the pressure I put on myself. I am sure that you

understand that. I look at it that way and think, you know, nothing's

changed since I was a tot and on the dry slope competing. Yeah,

nothing actually has changed. I am just going out and skiing the best

he just said how small the jumps are, he's got so much more height

than I would have imagined. I thought that was wicked, awesome. I

am picking up the lingo - wicked! I want to know some lingo. I use

stoked a lot, you know, fired up, budsing -- buzzing. Just make

things up, that's what I do. Put age on the end of anything, Stoke-

age! The bravery to do that is incredible. That was our attempt to

high-five each other but we missed. It worked, take two! Got it!

P. Thank you for letting me spend the day with you, it's been awe

some. I have been carrying around something that I am convinced if

everything goes to plan in a year's time you could be getting something

similar. That's pretty cool. Actually, you know, you hold on to

it. You don't want to touch? No, no, I will get my own one. I appreciate

it. Go and get yours. Thank you. Sochi. It's looking like our alpine

hopes will rest with Dave Riding and Chemmy Alcott. You believe our

success success will come from slope-style. We have seen an

increase in funding the last couple of years that's helped nurture a

new generation of skiers and snowboarders. At the forefront for

me is James Woods. Two World Cup wins this season and pound for

pound one of the best freestyle skiers in the world. Off the

mountain we have two others that are the best, Shelley Rudman and

Christie in short track. It's exciting times. That's it from Skeu

Sunday from the World Championships but more next week when Ski Sunday