ST. MORITZ, Switzerland -- Ted Ligety of the United States put together two nearly flawless runs in difficult conditions to win a World Cup giant slalom on Sunday, the last mens race before the Sochi Olympics. Ligety, a two-time world champion in the event, overcame poor visibility to finish a massive 1.51 seconds faster than Marcel Hirscher of Austria in the combined time. "Its so tough when you cant see anything, it makes it so much more tiring. Im glad I was able to make it to the finish line," said Ligety, who posted the fastest time in both runs. The convincing win boosted Ligetys Olympic hopes. "Its nice to get in another good race and I hope I can carry that confidence over the next two weeks," Ligety said. Hirscher jumped from third to second, while Alexis Pinturault of France fell from second to third after both heats to finish 1.69 seconds behind Ligety. "The second run was definitely very good, but the first run, to be one and a half seconds behind, was nothing for me," Hirscher said. As fog shrouded the middle section of the course, Ligety raced to his 21st career victory and his third in a giant slalom this season. He also has a victory in a super combined this year. Ligety won the first two giant slaloms of the season, with Hirscher getting the next two. Felix Neureuther of Germany, winner of the previous giant slalom race, skipped the event to rest a painful back before the Olympics. Hirscher still stayed atop the giant slalom standings and took the lead overall as Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway fell in the second heat. Hirscher is now 58 points ahead of Svindal. The Austrian has a 95-point lead over Pinturault in giant slalom standings, while Ligety is five points behind the Frenchman. "It was a very difficult slope but I am pleased because I stayed on the podium," Pinturault said. Ligety explained his big margin of victory by taking a different line. "When its bumpy like this, I dont go so straight, I go a bit closer to the gates. A little mistake will cost you a lot on a course like this," Ligety said. Bode Miller of the United States hit a rut and crashed out about halfway into the first run. Miller won the giant slalom title at the 2003 World Championships, the last time men raced in St. Moritz. The 36-year-old American said he was ready for his fifth Olympics, despite Sundays mishap. "My skiing is generally pretty solid now," Miller said. "There were already big holes in some places when I went down and you cant see where they are and the coaches cant tell you where they are. The guys making it down were skiing very conservatively, trying not to crash and not to make mistakes. Ted is the only one really who skied normally. "I didnt want to be 2.5 seconds behind and so tried to ski normally. But I had big problems from the start," Miller said. Fog forced the cancellation of Saturdays downhill and threatened the giant slalom as well. The start of the second run was delayed by half an hour and there was a long break before the last 11 racers. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday . The 49ers announced the deal Thursday. San Francisco selected Kilgore in the fifth round of the 2011 draft out of Appalachian State. He has played in 33 regular-season games, plus all six playoff games the last two seasons. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday Free Shipping . Sami Salo scored two goals as the Canucks overcame a hat-trick from Edmonton Oiler rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to win 4-3 in NHL action Saturday. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/ .com) - The Kansas City Chiefs activated linebacker Joe Mays from short-term injured reserve on Saturday. Buy Shoes Black Friday . Nainggolan scored his first Italian league goal at Bologna, in October 2010, and he also opened his Roma account there following his January move from Cagliari. 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BYU has yet to announce any punishments over the brawl, though Memphis said in its statement that the programs worked together on the matter and that players from both teams would participate in a conference call where formal apologies will be issued. An email to a BYU athletic department spokesman wasnt immediately returned Tuesday afternoon. Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen said in a statement that the university holds its students to the highest standards of sportsmanship and personal conduct. The actions of a few members of our football program in Miami were completely unacceptable, he said. I can assure our community, fans and stakeholders that we have and will continue to hold our young men and women accountable and will use this unfortunate incident as a teaching tool for alll our student- athletes moving forward.dddddddddddd Memphis issued its penalties following a review by the university and American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco. The penalties included mandatory anger-management counseling and community service hours and additional team-regulated punishments to be decided by head coach Justin Fuente and his staff. After Memphis beat BYU 55-48 in double-overtime on Dec. 22, a large on-field melee erupted in which players from both teams exchanged punches, leaving some bloodied. The brawl appeared to start with Memphis defensive lineman Martin Ifedi and BYU offensive lineman Tejan Koroma, but many other players were involved. In a blow captured live on the TV broadcast, BYU defensive back Kai Nacua punched Memphis tight end Alan Cross from behind as Cross was being held by one of his coaches. Nacua was bleeding from a cut below his left eye. Elsewhere, Memphis offensive lineman Chase Johnson was seen swinging his helmet at a BYU player and Cougars linebacker Harvey Langi appeared to throw several rapid punches at an opponent. Fuente said after the game, Its not who we are. Its not what we want to represent. I hope it doesnt take away from an incredible football game on both sides. ' ' '