VAL DISERE, France -- Two-time defending World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher limited his celebrations Saturday after dominating the treacherous Stade Olympique de Bellevarde course to win a giant slalom race. Vans Old Skool Discount . The Austrian produced a superb second run to win his third career giant slalom race and fourth overall at Val dIsere. However, Hirscher was disappointed that Ted Ligety did not finish. The American, seeking his fourth straight win in GS, made an uncharacteristic technical error and was among several racers to ski out and failed to qualify for the second run for the first time in nearly five years. Hirscher would prefer to measure his performance against Ligetys to see where he stands in GS terms. "Its a great victory for sure. But we dont know where we really are right now," Hirscher said. "Was it a really good run from us or is Ted skiing better than the rest of the world right now? Thats the question." It was Hirschers second win of the season after his slalom victory at Levi, Finland, and fourth podium from five races so far. His Val dIsere record is superb, and he will go for his eighth career podium at the French Alpine resort in Sundays slalom. "Im not the heaviest, largest guy in the World Cup. For me its easier to get the speed if its steep," Hirscher said. "I think its the steepest of the World Cup tour. I dont think Ive ever skied really bad here." With little snowfall in the past couple of weeks, the course was even more difficult. "It was definitely the toughest slope preparation Val dIsere has ever done," Hirscher said. "Normally it is a bit colder and the slope is not injected with so much water, so it is a kind of ice skating place." Hirscher was third after the first run, 0.41 seconds behind Frenchman Alexis Pinturault, but finished 0.76 seconds ahead of Thomas Fanara of France and 1.09 clear of Germanys Stefan Luitz. The Bellevarde course lived up to its tough reputation as Ligety, Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal and Bode Miller of the United States failed to finish their first runs. Miller got his skis tangled near the bottom and tumbled over. U.S. mens head coach Sasha Rearick said Miller was unlucky. "Today he got his outside ski caught right at the initiation of the turn in the flat light. Those things can kind of happen," Rearick said. "I was proud of the effort he put in today and the way he approached the hill." Both Miller and Ligety will take part in Sundays slalom. "Looking forward to it," Rearick said. "Get some revenge on Val dIsere." The 24-year-old Hirscher won the same race at Val dIsere last year and also finished third in the slalom. "I have to train pretty early in the morning," he said. "I know exactly what I have to do tomorrow. Im looking forward to it." His winning margin would have been even larger, but he made a slight error halfway down as he veered to the left before managing to straighten his skis. The pressure was on Pinturault to respond and he started well enough, .28 back on first split, but lost speed at the bottom to finish fourth. Ligety won the GS at Soelden, Austria, and Beaver Creek, Colorado but ended up missing a gate turning in from the left side, going down on his hip and out of a first run for the first time since February 2009 at Sestriere, Italy. "Its been a few years. But Ive had a bunch of races where (on) second runs I went out," the 29-year-old Ligety said. "Just a little bit (of) bad luck on my part today." The four-time defending World Cup GS champion does not count the Bellevarde among his favourite courses. "Its always super, super bumpy and miserable to ski so I wasnt surprised by that at all," Ligety said. Svindal, an Olympic bronze medallist in the discipline, lost his balance approaching a gate from the right, missed the next gate and almost toppled over as his right foot lifted off the ground. Both of Luitzs World Cup podiums have been at Val dIsere. The 21-year-old German was second last year, before facing a cruciate knee ligament injury in February. "To be on the podium 10 months after an operation is unexpected, its a great comeback," Luitz said. Cheap Vans SK8 .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. Vans Old Skool Sale . He was still a kid, going into his senior year of high school. Thursday, the point guard stood in front of a couple dozen members of the media and spoke with poise about how much hed grown since then, and how hes ready for the next level. http://www.vanssalestore.com/ . Rockhold." Known as an aggressive striker, Belfort (23-10) instead paced himself as the engaged in the early going and showed restraint by not overcommitting against the larger Rockhold (10-2). But when the opportunity presented itself, Belfort delivered an incredible spinning heel kick that landed flush on Rockholds chin and sent him toppling to the floor.LONDON -- Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud faces four months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a broken tibia. The France international was injured in a 2-2 draw with Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, seconds after scoring. Arsenaal manager Arsene Wenger says Giroud isnt likely to be back in action until the end of December. Vans Slip On Cheap. The news was a setback for Arsenal after beating Besiktas 1-0 to qualify for the Champions League group stage on Wednesday. ' ' '