Ted Ligety's Dominance in Giant Slalom Leaves Rivals Marveling BEAVER CREEK, Colo. - Ted Ligety of the United States charged to victory down the Birds of Prey giant slalom track Sunday with a combined time of 2 minutes 25.59 seconds. After setting a course record for margin of victory, beating Marcel Hirscher of Austria by 1.76 seconds, Ligety bowed and kissed the snow in the finish area. Ted Ligety won the World Cup giant slalom by 1.76 seconds Sunday in Colorado. In a discipline in which victory is often determined by hundredths of a second, Ligety's win was a bold statement of his dominance. Ligety, an Olympic gold medalist in the combined event and a three-time World Cup giant slalom title winner, did not seem particularly impressed by his performance. "It's very rare if you have a perfect run in ski racing," he said. I didn't make any big mistakes, but I don't think I was perfect, either. I feel I skied as well as I needed to. His early-season success has competitors wondering whether Ligety is unbeatable. Hirscher, who won last year's overall title and edged Ligety for the 2012 giant slalom trophy, said: "At the moment, I think it is very, very hard to beat Ted. There is no opportunity to stay in first place or make a victory. Davide Simoncelli of Italy, who finished third Sunday, said, "Ted is on another level." Ligety was the first skier of the race, posting a time 1:13.49. His lead of nearly a second proved insurmountable for the 68 racers who followed in the first leg, and set him up for victory going into the second run. Racers ski two courses during the giant slalom competition, with the aggregate time determining the winner. The last racer of the second set, Ligety built on his early lead, charging to victory with a clean run. Winning by seconds is becoming almost commonplace for Ligety, who won the opening giant slalom race of the season in Sölden, Austria, by 2.75 seconds, the largest margin since 1979. In a twist, Ligety was the most outspoken critic of the regulations for giant slalom skis implemented this season by the International Ski Federation, ski racing's governing body. The changes affected the dimensions of the skis and made them more difficult to turn. However, Ligety's results indicate the skis might be working to his advantage. "I think they're definitely playing to my skiing style," Ligety said. I have a smoother transition than most guys and arc more on the top of the turn than most guys, so I'm able to get them around quicker. I also get bigger angles than most people. So all those factors help me on the new G.S. skis. Nevertheless, Ligety remained critical of the new regulations. "I'm still against the rule as far as I don't think it's a good progression for the sport in general," he said. It makes the sport a little less fun for us. If the conditions aren't perfect, then it's really hard to ski the way you want to. With his success in recent speed events, nabbing two fourth-place finishes in super-G races, Ligety is a contender for the World Cup overall title, ski racing's top crown. After seven races, Ligety is second in the overall standings behind Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway. "The kid could come in and give us a fight for the overall," Svindal, the early-season favorite to win the title, said of Ligety after Saturday's super-G race, in which Svindal took second. If Ligety keeps up this momentum, the giant slalom title is his to lose. "It's tough to say what it is, but I feel like I'm skiing well," Ligety said. If I keep skiing this fast, then yes, it's mostly me that will get in my own way.