Norway's Atle Lie McGrath stuns slalom field in Flachau for first World Cup victory
The 21-year-old held off Olympic champion Clement Noel en route to the win.
Alpine Skiing
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath notched his first slalom win Wednesday (9 March) at the FIS Ski World Cup in Flachau, Austria. It was the 29th start in World Cup competition for the 21-year-old, who was born in the United States. His father Felix McGrath competed for Team USA at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary.
McGrath's 1:52.51 held off Beijing 2022 Olympic gold medallist Clement Noel of France (1:52.80). Switzerland's Daniel Yule was third, finishing with a 1:53.15 combined time.
Austria's Johannes Strolz, who picked up silver in Beijing, led after the first run finished fourth after slipping up toward the end of his second race.
Henrik Kristoffersen led the World Cup standings coming into this event, fresh off two wins late last month. But after a tough first run that landed him in 28th position, he had too much work to do to land on the podium. His 57.60 second run was fastest in the second round.
With one slalom event remaining in this season's World Cup schedule and despite a 16th-place finish in Flachau, Kristoffersen continues to lead in the race for the crystal globe with 371 points. He previously won the globe in the 2015/16 and 2019/20 seasons. Only six men have won it more than twice.