Kid at Head of His Class

SESTRIERE, Italy, Feb. 19 -- Six months ago Ted Ligety's parents thought it would be a miracle if their son, the youngest member of the U.S. ski team, were named to the 2006 Olympic squad. On Saturday they found themselves amid throngs of souvenir shoppers at the Olympic Superstore in Turin's Piazza Vittorio Veneto, stocking up on commemorative pins of Day 5 of the 2006 Games.

That was Tuesday, the day Ligety stunned the world's elite skiers -- not to mention his parents, as well as himself -- by winning a gold medal in his Olympic debut, in an event that isn't even his specialty. Ligety stormed back from 22nd place after the downhill leg of the men's combined to outrace technical aces such as Austria's Benjamin Raich and Italy's Giorgio Rocca to claim his improbable gold.

So far in these Winter Games, it has been the only cause for celebration among the U.S. Alpine team, which arrived in Italy with a goal of winning eight medals. With half of the men's and women's events completed, U.S. skiers have claimed just one -- Ligety's.

After a six-day break, Ligety will return to competition Monday, joining his more heralded and decorated teammates Bode Miller, Daron Rahlves and Erik Schlopy -- three-time Olympians, all -- in the giant slalom. Ligety, 21, isn't expected to pull off another podium finish in the longer of Alpine skiing's two technical events. He has never won a giant slalom in his two short years on the international ski circuit and is ranked 23rd in the discipline in the current World Cup standings.

Miller, who won silver in the giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake Games, is ranked sixth. Rahlves is 10th and Schlopy is 12th.

All four skiers are featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's Olympic preview issue, looked fearless and rugged in their skin-tight racing suits in front of a snow-capped mountain peak. Ligety stands on the far left, positioned slightly behind the veterans. But he has more than moved out of their shadow since as the only U.S. skier to outperform expectations at the 2006 Olympics rather than dash them.

Miller, 28, who brandishes the most raw talent, has only squandered it in his three events to date -- finishing fifth in the downhill, getting disqualified in the combined and crashing out of the Super-G.

Rahlves, 31, topped the downhill speed charts in practice but barely showed up race day, finishing 10th. He wasn't a factor in the Super-G, either. A speed specialist, Rahlves plans to retire from racing this summer and may well do so without a single Olympic medal.

That leaves Ligety, despite his limited résumé, as the American skier to watch in the final men's Alpine events -- Monday's giant slalom and Saturday's slalom.

Said Rocca, after edging Ligety for the slalom victory at Adelboden, Switzerland, on Jan. 8: "Ted was very courageous and efficient. My real enemy right now is Ted because he is a very strong opponent, especially in view of the Olympics."

Rocca, 30, has already been shown up by Ligety at these Olympics, finishing third in the two slalom races that figured in Tuesday's combined, with a total time of 1 minute 29.35 seconds to Ligety's 1:27.93. Rocca responded by announcing he would skip the Super-G and giant slalom in order to focus solely on Saturday's slalom. A huge, partisan crowd is expected at the Sestriere Colle course to cheer Rocca on.

Ligety also will face a favored Italian in the giant slalom, with Max Blardone, who is second in the World Cup standings, in the field.