Ligety first in race despite broken wrist

AMERICAN

Ted Ligety

used a powerful second run to win a World Cup giant slalom yesterday despite a broken wrist.

In fourth place after the opening pass, Ligety found speed where others couldn't on a deteriorating course in Beaver Creek, Ore. He finished in a combined time of 2 minutes, 34.07 seconds. Alexis Pinturault, of France, was second, 0.18 seconds behind, and Austria's Marcel Hirscher ended up third.

Ligety had four metal screws inserted into his wrist after an accident during training on Nov 22. He didn't take much time off after surgery, but had to train without a pole for a little bit. Ligety said that actually helped him develop more balance going around gates.

Hirscher joked that it really didn't matter if Ligety raced with one pole - or even one ski - he would still be fast.

"Ted is definitely one of the best, no, I'm sure, the best GS skier in the world," Hirscher said.

It was Ligety's 23rd career GS World Cup victory, tying him with Switzerland's Michael von Gruenigen for second all-time in the discipline. Fitting, since von Gruenigen was one of Ligety's idols as a kid.

"To have the same amount of World Cup wins as him is surreal," said Ligety, who's from Park City, Utah. "I never would've guessed I'd be anywhere close to him as a kid. It's really cool."

In other winter-sport news:

* Lara Gut, of Switzerland, won the women's World Cup super-G in Lake Louise, Alberta, with American Lindsey Vonn finishing second. Vonn was coming off a victory in Saturday's downhill.

* Elana Meyers Taylor, of the United States, and Kaillie Humphries, of Canada, are now eligible to compete against men on the World Cup bobsled circuit after completing eligibility requirements when they raced in a four-man European Cup event.

* Major League Soccer will announce its next expansion destination by the middle of 2015, with groups from Sacramento, Las Vegas and Minneapolis vying for franchises. MLS will have 20 teams next season with the addition of New York City FC and Orlando City SC. The league will add teams in Los Angeles and Atlanta in 2017.

* Five-time world player of the year Marta sustained minor injuries in a car crash in Brazil. The star of Brazil's women's team was taken to a hospital for tests but had only a few bruises and was released.

* Mario Goetze's World Cup-winning left shoe has brought a bid of nearly $2.5 million at a children's charity gala in Germany and is headed for a museum. Germany coach Joachim Loew said the shoe will be exhibited next year at the new German Football Museum in Dortmund.

* A 1909

Honus Wagner

baseball card has sold at auction for $403,664. A 1952 Topps

Mickey Mantle

rookie card sold for $268,664 and a bat used by

Jackie Robinson

during 1949, when he was voted NL MVP, sold for $201,851).