Norwegian skier Atle Lie McGrath leads last World Cup slalom before Olympics after 1st run

By Canadian Press on January 28, 2026.

SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) — Atle Lie McGrath led Henrik Kristoffersen for a Norwegian 1-2 result in the opening run of a World Cup night race on Wednesday, the last slalom before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

McGrath, who was 0.15 seconds faster than his teammate, could become the first skier with three slalom wins this season.

On the flip side, he’s also had three slaloms which he didn’t finish, most recently at the classic Hahnenkamm event in Kitzbühel last Sunday.

After eight of this season’s 11 races, the United States-born McGrath ranks third in the tight discipline standings, where the top five are separated by less than 50 points.

Leader Lucas Pinheiro Braathen finished 0.78 second behind McGrath on Wednesday and second-ranked Clément Noël, the 2022 Olympic champion from France, was one-tenth further back.

Loic Meillard, who beat Pinheiro Braathen to win a GS on the same hill Tuesday, trailed McGrath by 0.44 in third, while Paco Rassat in fourth had 0.66 to make up in the second leg.

Rassat is the only skier other than McGrath with two slaloms wins this season.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

The Associated Press

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