Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway ended an 11-month winless streak by taking the men's slalom at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup in Schladming, Austria, on January 28, 2026. The victory marked his 34th career World Cup win and a record fifth at the traditional night race, securing a Norwegian one-two finish ahead of teammate Atle Lie McGrath. France's Clément Noël rounded out the podium with the fastest second run.
The race, the final slalom before the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, unfolded under floodlights on the Planai course. After the first run, McGrath led with a time of 53.12 seconds, followed closely by Kristoffersen at 53.27 seconds. Switzerland's Loïc Meillard, fresh off a giant slalom win the previous day, started strongly but did not finish the second run, eliminating his chance for a double.
Kristoffersen, starting second in the reverse order for the second run, overcame an uncertain beginning to post a combined time of 1:53.80, edging McGrath by 0.34 seconds. Noël, the defending Olympic champion, surged from eighth after the first run with the quickest second leg of 1:00.34, finishing 0.54 seconds behind the winner. Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen placed fourth, more than 1.5 seconds off the pace.
For Kristoffersen, who lives an hour away in Salzburg, the win was particularly poignant, marking a return to form after a challenging giant slalom the night before. "It’s a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I don’t cry a lot, and I never cry for pain or sadness, but today I cry for joy," he said in a tearful interview. He added, "People have probably written me off, but I don't care. It’s not the course that made it challenging, it’s the conditions. But in the end when it’s difficult the proper skiers come out."
McGrath, reclaiming the season-long slalom lead with 452 points to Braathen's 451, praised his teammate: "My mindset was to survive... Henrik skied incredible. When he gets like this, he’s the best in the world. I really congratulate him – it’s cool with the double victory!"
Noël reflected on his recovery: "That was a tough second run... I did a huge mistake after five gates, the feeling was slow but... I was really surprised. I was pretty disappointed with my first run... I’m not in my best shape at the moment but I tried and it worked."
Kristoffersen's triumph moves him within two wins of Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal's national record of 36. Two more slaloms remain this season, with the next men's World Cup event a downhill in Crans-Montana on Sunday.
