Olympic meltdown: Norway's Atle Lie McGrath loses gold medal in slalom, then control of emotions
· Yahoo Sports
BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath saw his gold-medal hopes slip away in the Olympic slalom and decided to send his ski poles sailing along with them.
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He tossed each pole over the netting, then climbed the fencing on the side of the Stelvio course to begin his long walk toward the wilderness. It was part of an Olympic meltdown that turned the men’s slalom into high-tragic theater Monday.
As the first-run leader, McGrath was the last to go among the top 30 racers. He had a medal within his sights — until he straddled a gate and was out. He lost a medal and then control of his emotions in a race won by Loic Meillard of Switzerland.
Once McGrath reached the forest, he sat down in the snow and then fell back, breathing heavily. A medical person came over to check on him.
McGrath later arrived in the finish area and walked away without talking.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” said his teammate, Timon Haugan, who finished fourth. “He's doing everything perfect. He did a very good first run, put himself in a position to win the Olympic gold. He does everything right and then that happens in 15 seconds."
McGrath has been racing with a heavy heart, with his grandfather dying the day of the opening ceremony. McGrath wore an armband as a tribute.
“What he's gone through these last 10, 12 days, it's been really tough,” Haugan said. “He's been really sad. He started to do better and today he's going through ... we need to really back him up today.”
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics