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Ted Ligety's injury-riddled World Cup season is mercifully over.
The 31-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist from Park City announced on his Facebook and Twitter accounts on Wednesday that he suffered a torn ACL during a giant slalom training run in Oberjoch, Germany. According to Kyle Wilkens, U.S. Ski Team medical director, Ligety will return stateside for further medical evaluation.
In his social media post, Ligety said, "We all know ski racing is a dangerous sport but I always thought I could avoid a season ender."
Ligety began the 2015-16 World Cup season was with a bang, winning a gold medal in the giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, on Oct. 25. But a training injury in early November resulted in three herniated discs in his back, keeping him off the slopes competitively for an entire month. Later came a hip muscle tear. After rigorous physical therapy treatments as well as injections in his back to quell the pain, Ligety returned to earn a silver medal in the super-G at Beaver Creek, Colo., the first week of December.
Forced to try and catch up with the remainder of the pack, Ligety couldn't regain the form he entered the season with in Soelden. He failed to finish in seven races and did not qualify in another two.
In a cruel twist of irony, Ligety spoke to The Tribune Sunday from Germany regarding the testing season he's experienced as well as his back injury.
"It's part of the deal," he said. "I would say acute injuries where you blow out your knee or something are bad because you're out for the season, but at least that's like a solvable problem. You have a goal in getting back. When it's chronic and it just always lingers, that's tough."
Ligety's season-ending injury is the latest in a slew of major ones to befall the sports most notable athletes. Mikaela Shiffrin, who won gold in women's slalom at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a crash in December in Sweden.
Four-time Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso underwent season-ending hip surgery in early November.
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Ted Ligety at a glance
A look at Ted Ligety
Hometown » Park City
Age » 31
Olympics » 2006, 2010, 2014
Accolades » Two-time Olympic gold medalist (Combined, 2006 Games; giant slalom, 2014 Games), five-time World Championship gold medalist, five-time giant slalom World Cup champion (2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014), 25 World Cup gold medals, 51 World Cup podium finishes.