Norwegian skier has epic meltdown after costly error with Olympic gold in sight during slalom event

Blizzard conditions during the alpine skiing men’s slalom contention astatine the 2026 Milan Cortina Games led to chaos for the participants, and a medal favourite mislaid his chill astatine the extremity of Monday’s runs.

Out of the 96 competitors successful the field, 52 of them were incapable to implicit their archetypal runs connected the upland owed to the snowy conditions. Skiers were having occupation keeping their balance, fto unsocial hitting each gate.

Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath, competing successful his 2nd Olympic Games, was starring the tract aft the disastrous archetypal tally for galore of his opponents.

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Norway's Atle Lie McGrath arrives astatine the decorativeness country of an alpine ski, men's slalom race, astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

McGrath held a whopping 59-second pb heading into the 2nd run, which is large for immoderate slalom skier hoping to instrumentality location gold.

But, aft straddling a gross connected his 2nd run, McGrath ruined his chances astatine taking location immoderate medal, fto unsocial gold.

McGrath knew that and created arsenic such, launching his skis poles retired of frustration. Then, aft helium was making his mode disconnected the course, helium laid successful the snowfall with his hands connected his head, wondering what went wrong.

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In turn, Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard won the golden medal, followed by Fabio Gstrein taking location metallic and McGrath’s Norwegian teammate Henrik Kristoffersen winning bronze.

"It’s amazing," Meillard said aft winning gold, per the New York Post. "It’s been agelong days, a batch of expectations and astir what you privation to achieve, a batch of unit connected yourself."

Gstrein added, "The feeling is great, truly bully and cool," aft winning his metallic medal.

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, men's slalom race, astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.  (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

McGrath’s wipeout contempt being the gold-medal favourite heading into the 2nd tally is conscionable different illustration of however these Winter Games person not been going according to program for galore of the apical athletes competing.

On the United States’ side, snowboarder Chloe Kim and fig skater Ilia Malinin are conscionable 2 examples of expected gold-medal finishers who had wipeout moments successful their decisive events.

Kim needed higher than a 90 connected his 3rd effort astatine the women’s halfpipe to marque Olympic past with 3 consecutive golden medals aft 17-year-old Gaon Choi of South Korea had a cleanable last tally to overtake archetypal place.

Kim fell aft attempting a trick, frankincense leaving her with the metallic medal.

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath arrives astatine the decorativeness country of an alpine ski, men's slalom race, astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

As for Malinin, helium wasn’t connected the podium similar Kim, falling doubly during the men’s escaped skate. The 21-year-old, nicknamed "Quad God," finished eighth successful the event, shocking everyone successful Milan.

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But that’s the quality of the high-pressure moments the Olympics tin bring retired successful these athletes. Execution is key, and erstwhile things don’t spell the mode they are hoped to, vexation tin leak out.

In McGrath’s case, that vexation progressive immoderate rod throwing.

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