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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. Cheap Nike Vapormax China . In the last race before the Sochi Olympics, Bjoergen followed up her win in the 10-kilometre classical race on Saturday by beating World Cup sprint leader Denise Herrmann of Germany by 0.43 seconds for her fifth victory of the season. Vapormax Plus Cheap . -- Oakland Athletics starting pitchers Jarrod Parker and A. http://www.wholesalevapormax.com/ . Not sure yet. #livetweetingthegreatuntangle — Strombone (@strombone1) April 17, 2014 Stage three, coping: I feel like I could use a cigarette or something. Nike Vapormax Wholesale . The 23-year-old Poland international is back as first choice at Arsenal after losing his regular spot in the team on occasions over the last three seasons. Cheap Vapormax Online . For the Athletics, hes extremely important at the top of the order, especially with Coco Crisp hurting. Jaso drove in three runs Sunday night, helping Scott Kazmir and Oakland beat the Texas Rangers 9-3.SAN FRANCISCO - Jonathan Martin is back on the Stanford campus hanging out and working out with old college pals turned successful pros, Andrew Luck and Richard Sherman. He has returned to his Bay Area comfort zone, far from South Florida and his short-lived, tumultuous tenure with the Dolphins. Now, hes here to stay. Martin is the newest member of the San Francisco 49ers, and hes thrilled for a fresh start to keep playing football. And for anyone who questions why the offensive lineman couldnt tough things out through a bullying scandal in Miami, hes unconcerned. "You could say this or that could have gone differently. Hindsight is 20-20," Martin said Thursday upon passing a physical. "My focus is 100 per cent on the future, moving forward." In recent months, Martin has learned to ignore all the negative chatter and surround himself with those who have been so supportive along the way. Already, starting 49ers offensive linemen Joe Staley and Anthony Davis have reached out. "I can tell already that Im going to get along just great with those guys," Martin said. "Ive felt a warm welcome from the entire 49ers community, fan base, coaching staff, everybody. Im just looking forward to the future and getting back to playing football." Martins trade from the Dolphins to the Niners became official Thursday. It reunites him with his college coach, Jim Harbaugh. The teams first announced the move Tuesday night for Martin, who left the Dolphins last fall after accusing teammate Richie Incognito of bullying in a scandal that overshadowed the franchises 8-8 season. An investigation for the NFL determined last month that Incognito and two other offensive linemen engaged in persistent harassment of Martin, another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. After Martins departure from the Dolphins in late October, he underwent counselling for emotional issues. Incognito was suspended for the final eight games. "Any time we acquire a player we give him a clean slate, along with every opportunity to demonstrate his value to our organization, both on the field and in the community," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said. "It will be no different in Jonathans case. As a former Stanford student-athlete, we are very familiar with Jonathan and look forward to working with him." Harbaugh has supported Martin all along, from his early college days at Stanford to the offensive linemans departure from the Dolphins, and even in a formal NFL investigation into the situation in Miami. Harbaugh spoke publicly about Martin in November and referred to him as a &"personal friend.dddddddddddd" "Hes a stand-up guy. It means a lot when somebody with that much credibility has your back," Martin said. "His enthusiasm is infectious. You can see it at every level of the organization. It rubs off on everybody. Just to be around a winning atmosphere, a coach thats focused on winning, its really the best situation I could have asked for." Now, these two will begin the process of getting Martin up to speed in a hurry this off-season. Harbaugh has said hes not concerned because it should be a smooth transition. Martin already knows many of the coaches who came from Stanford when Harbaugh was hired in January 2011. Harbaugh has credited Martin for being a "very intelligent football player" who has familiarity with the Niners system. Martin noted he never considered retiring, saying: "That didnt even cross my mind at any point. Im a football player, Ive been a football player my whole life." "The way Im approaching it, I have to earn my spot on this team, Im a new guy in the locker room," Martin said. "Its a blank slate for me. Im looking forward to revitalizing my career, getting back to playing. I want to do whatever I can to contribute to this O-line. Its one of the best O-lines in football already." The 24-year-old Martin wasnt expected to return to Miami, and owner Stephen Ross made it known in January that the 2012 second-round pick would likely be gone. The investigation found a pattern of harassment on the Dolphins, with Martin the primary target of vicious taunts and racist insults that occurred almost daily. The report said teammates threatened to rape Martins sister, called him a long list of slurs and bullied him for not being "black enough." Martin is black and Incognito is white. Now, Martin can truly move forward in a new jersey, and perhaps in a new number — even in a new stadium. The 49ers will play their first season in Levis Stadium at team headquarters this year. Martin said they have always had a great relationship, from the days Harbaugh recruited him to Stanford and coached him for three years with the Cardinal. "The goal for this transaction is a win-win," Harbaugh said. Martin, too, considers this a perfect fit, with the opportunity to chase a championship an added bonus. "Absolutely," Martin said. "I think it worked out great, once again playing for Coach Harbaugh, once again in the Bay Area. Playing for a winning franchise, a team thats had a lot of recent success. Hopefully Ill be able to contribute to further success with this team." ' ' '