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SOELDEN, Austria -- Ted Ligety will be the overwhelming favourite when the Olympic ski season opens on Sunday with a World Cup giant slalom on Rettenbach glacier. Ben Gardner Womens Jersey . The American has won this race for the past two years and finished on the podium for the past five. A year ago, Ligety didnt just win here, he dominated with a massive victory margin of 2.75 seconds. Taking advantage of extensive preparation on newly shaped skis introduced last season, he went on to win six of eight giant slaloms on the circuit. "I hope to come close to that," Ligety said on Thursday. "But people have figured out the skis by now and I cant really expect to win GS by those kind of margins." Ligety also won three gold medals at last seasons world championships -- a feat no man had accomplished since French great Jean-Claude Killy won four 45 years earlier. So how does he find motivation having already achieved so much? "Ted is internally motivated, has always been internally motivated and thats never been a question," U.S. mens head coach Sasha Rearick said. "The challenge now, after a year like that, is everyone wants a piece of him -- media, industry, commercials, the foundation, marketing. So hes been busy. But hes done a good job to make sure that hasnt interfered with his training and keeping focused on what is important. Hes working on getting better every day." While Ligety is hoping to peak for the Sochi Games in February, he also wants to win the overall World Cup. Ligety broke the 1,000-point barrier for the first time last season but he still finished third overall behind Marcel Hirscher of Austria and Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway. "The overall challenge is going to be able to execute week in and week out," Rearick said. "He was able to do that in GS consistently, now its about taking that same kind of consistency into the slalom and super-G. Last year we saw a real, big gain in his super-G and now we need to make that same jump in slalom." Ligety showed his super-G potential by winning that event at the worlds, and his main emphasis in preseason training has been on slalom. "Hopefully thats the formula to win the overall," he said. "The overall is every World Cup skiers big goal and every year I round out my skiing. Its not easy though." To help Ligety achieve his overall goal, the U.S. squad has a special multi-event team of coaches to work exclusively with Ligety and fellow allrounder Bode Miller, who is back after taking a season off to let his surgically repaired left knee fully heal. "My knee is good. Its a little puffy but its been that way for a long time," Miller said. "Overall it feels better than it has since 01." Having sat out last season, the reshaped GS skis are completely new to Miller. "Its been difficult because I havent had a chance to ski at a very high level," he said. "So when I got on the race hill here it was a bit of a shock. ... Its less fun, more work, but it seems OK." Miller also has a solid record in Soelden. He won in 2003 and 2004 and has eight consecutive top-10 finishes. Still, having not raced for so long, Miller wasnt about to make any predictions for Sunday. "Its an intimidating race hill," he said. "I hope to be in touch and gain some points." Hirscher and Svindal are again the favourites for the overall title. Hirscher took the coveted crown the past two seasons and Svindal won it in 2007 and 2009. "Im ready," Svindal said. "Last year I made the overall exciting and I want to be a part of that excitement again. If its Ted or whoever I want to make it hard for them, too. I for sure want to win it." Another overall contender could be Alexis Pinturault, the Frenchman who was sixth overall last season with three victories in three different disciplines: Slalom, super-combined and giant slalom. The only racers to win in GS last season besides Ligety were Hirscher in Val dIsere, France, and Pinturault in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. After Soelden, the World Cup goes to Levi, Finland, for slaloms on Nov. 16-17, followed by stops in the United States and Canada before the traditional races in Europe. The Sochi Games run from Feb. 7-23.Bill Bates Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. Tony Dorsett Womens Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nick Markakis had answers for both of the home runs from Texas slugger Adrian Beltre. The Baltimore leadoff man hit a tying homer after Beltres first blast, and his go-ahead single followed a three-run shot that pulled the Rangers even, as the Orioles went on to a 6-5 victory in Texas on Wednesday night. Markakis single in the sixth inning came after Beltre wiped out a 5-2 lead. Chris Davis had put Baltimore up by three with a solo shot against his former team -- a night after Nelson Cruz did something similar by homering in his first game as an opponent at Texas. "Weve have been having good at bats up there," Markakis said. "Seems like when they get the ball over the plate, weve been getting good swings on it and finding the hole, finding the gap." Cruz had three singles and reached twice on errors by Luis Sardinas, a surprise fill-in at shortstop for Elvis Andrus. It was the second time in less than a week the two-time All-Star wasnt in the starting lineup. Bud Norris (4-5) allowed six hits and five runs in five innings for the Orioles, and the bullpen pitched four scoreless innings. Zach Britton earned his fifth save. Davis, who was traded to the Orioles by Texas in 2011 and led the majors with 53 homers last year, had his eighth this season on a towering shot to right field for a 5-2 lead in the fifth. Cruz, who chose Baltimore over Texas as a free agent in the off-season and leads the big leagues with 21 home runs, hit a three-run homer in a series-opening win Tuesday. Markakis hit his fourth homer against rookie starter Nick Martinez (1-2) in the third. The left-handed hitters go-ahead single came off Aaron Poreda, a lefty brought in to face him. "It doesnt really matter with Nick," manager Buck Showalter said. "There are so few in baseball that left and right doesnt matter." Beltre, who drove in all five Texas runs, gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with an opposite-field shot off the facing of the upper deck in right field in the first inning and went the other away again in the fifth for his eighth homer of the season. Mackenzy Bernadeau Jersey. Beltres tying shot came after Norris was hit on the right forearm on a one-hopper by Mitch Moreland that turned into a single. After a lengthy chat with manager Buck Showalter and the trainer, Norris stayed in and got two quick strikes on Beltre, who fouled off three more pitches before sending a line drive into the Texas bullpen for his third homer in two nights. "When Beltre goes to punching the ball out of the ballpark, he does it in bunches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He put us on his back. We just couldnt put enough runs across the board to help." Norris left the game after the inning with a right forearm contusion. "Im pretty sore," Norris said. "You dont know where you want to get hit, but I guess its the forearm. I got some muscle on it so I guess you could look at it that way." Both of Sardinas errors led to runs. He dropped a popup with two outs in the first, and Cruz scored on a single by Adam Jones. A throwing error in the third came before another run-scoring single by Jones and a sacrifice fly from J.J. Hardy. Andrus grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and stayed in at shortstop. NOTES: Orioles RHP Miguel Gonzalez was scratched from his Thursday start in Texas and replaced by RHP Chris Tillman. Gonzalez is nursing soreness on his right side, but theres no diagnosis. He was scheduled for an MRI. ... The Rangers observed a moment of silence for Don Zimmer, who died Wednesday. He managed the Rangers in 1981 and part of 1982. ... Orioles closer Tommy Hunter (left groin strain) will pitch in a simulated game Thursday after getting through fielding practice with no issues. cheap jerseys ' ' '