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Blizzard conditions during the alpine skiing men’s slalom competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games led to chaos for the participants, and a medal favorite lost his cool at the end of Monday’s runs.
Out of the 96 competitors in the field, 52 of them were unable to complete their first runs on the mountain due to the snowy conditions. Skiers were having trouble keeping their balance, let alone hitting each gate.
Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath, competing in his second Olympic Games, was leading the field after the disastrous first run for many of his opponents.
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Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath arrives at the finish area of an alpine ski, men’s slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
McGrath held a whopping 59-second lead heading into the second run, which is great for any slalom skier hoping to take home gold.
But, after straddling a gate on his second run, McGrath ruined his chances at taking home any medal, let alone gold.
McGrath knew that and created as such, launching his ski poles out of frustration. Then, after he was making his way off the course, he laid in the snow with his hands on his head, wondering what went wrong.
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In turn, Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard won the gold medal, followed by Fabio Gstrein taking home silver and McGrath’s Norwegian teammate Henrik Kristoffersen winning bronze.
“It’s amazing,” Meillard said after winning gold, per the New York Post. “It’s been long days, a lot of expectations and about what you want to achieve, a lot of pressure on yourself.”
Gstrein added, “The feeling is great, really nice and cool,” after winning his silver medal.
Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, men’s slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
McGrath’s wipeout despite being the gold-medal favorite heading into the second run is just another example of how these Winter Games have not been going according to plan for many of the top athletes competing.
On the United States’ side, snowboarder Chloe Kim and figure skater Ilia Malinin are just two examples of expected gold-medal finishers who had wipeout moments in their decisive events.
Kim needed higher than a 90 on his third attempt at the women’s halfpipe to make Olympic history with three straight gold medals after 17-year-old Gaon Choi of South Korea had a clean final run to overtake first place.
Kim fell after attempting a trick, thus leaving her with the silver medal.
Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath arrives at the finish area of an alpine ski, men’s slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
As for Malinin, he wasn’t on the podium like Kim, falling twice during the men’s free skate. The 21-year-old, nicknamed “Quad God,” finished eighth in the event, shocking everyone in Milan.
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But that’s the nature of the high-pressure moments the Olympics can bring out in these athletes. Execution is key, and when things don’t go the way they are hoped to, frustration can leak out.
In McGrath’s case, that frustration involved some pole throwing.
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