BORMIO, Italy — The weight of expectation, coupled with profound personal grief, proved too much for Atle Lie McGrath at the Olympic slalom, resulting in a stunning meltdown that saw the Norwegian skier discard his hopes – and his ski poles – in a dramatic display of frustration.
McGrath, who was born in Vermont but competes for Norway, entered the second run with a significant lead, poised to claim a gold medal in his strongest event. However, a straddle at a gate dashed those aspirations, triggering a visible and emotional unraveling. He tossed his ski poles over the safety netting and then climbed the fencing, walking towards the woods bordering the Stelvio course.
“I thought that I would get some peace and quiet, which I didn’t,” McGrath later explained, revealing that photographers and police eventually located him in the wilderness. “Because photographers and police found me out in the woods. But I just needed some time for myself.”
The scene unfolded as a stark contrast to the celebratory atmosphere surrounding Loic Meillard of Switzerland, who ultimately secured the gold medal. The Swiss team’s initial exuberance, however, was tempered by an apology to the Norwegian camp after a coach’s premature celebration appeared to distract McGrath just before his fateful mistake.
Beyond the immediate disappointment of losing a potential gold medal, McGrath revealed a deeply personal struggle that had been weighing on him throughout the Milan Cortina Games. His grandfather passed away on the day of the opening ceremony, and McGrath had been competing while wearing an armband in his memory.
“I’m normally a guy that’s very good when it comes to perspective on things,” McGrath said. “And if I don’t ski well in a race, I can at least tell myself that I’m healthy and my family’s healthy and the people I love are here. So that’s nice, but that’s not been the case. I’ve lost someone I love so much and that makes it really hard.”
The emotional toll was evident to his teammates. “What he’s gone through these last 10, 12 days, it’s been really tough,” said Timon Haugan, who finished fourth in the race. “He’s been really sad. He started to do better and today he’s going through… we need to really back him up today.”
McGrath’s mistake occurred directly in front of the Swiss coach, adding another layer of complexity to the already fraught situation. Despite the circumstances, McGrath remained philosophical about the outcome.
“I gave myself the absolute best opportunity you could today,” he stated. “I skied so great, and I still couldn’t get it done. So that’s what really hurts.”
Henrik Kristoffersen, another Norwegian medalist – taking bronze – offered a sympathetic perspective, drawing on his own experience of losing a lead in the slalom at the Pyeongchang Games. “it’s another ski race,” Kristoffersen said. “it’s not going to make or break Atle’s career. He is a great skier. If he keeps going like he’s going, he will have great success for the future. This is just our sport.”
Kristoffersen also defended McGrath’s emotional response, stating, “That’s allowed. This is sports. What are sports without the emotions?”
Meillard acknowledged the fickle nature of slalom racing, where even the most skilled athletes can succumb to a single mistake. “The beauty of slalom is that when it works out it’s beautiful,” he said. “I was definitely sorry for him, but at the end, all the times he won when I skied out — that’s part of the game.”
Despite the pain of the moment, McGrath expressed a desire to move forward and focus on the support of his loved ones. “I spent my time in the woods,” he said with a wry laugh. “So now I’m going to spend time with the people I love and that’s all I need.”
“I think I need quite a bit of time to process this and it’s going to be extremely tough. We’ll see how it goes, but at least I’m surrounded by great people who love me and who I love. I’m at least happy that they’ll be here.”
