Norway's Atle Lie McGrath secured a narrow victory in the men's World Cup slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on March 8, 2026, beating teammate Henrik Kristoffersen by just 0.01 seconds. The win extends McGrath's lead in the season-long slalom standings to 41 points over Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen with one race remaining. McGrath dedicated the triumph to his late grandfather following a disappointing Olympic performance.
Atle Lie McGrath of Norway claimed his third slalom win of the 2025-26 Audi FIS World Cup season by holding off a strong challenge in sunny conditions at Kranjska Gora. Leading after the first run by 0.17 seconds over childhood friend Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, now racing for Brazil, McGrath finished the second run amid warm temperatures reaching 11 Celsius (52 Fahrenheit). His total time edged Henrik Kristoffersen by +0.01 seconds, with Braathen third at +0.04 and Austria's Michael Matt fourth at +0.06. The top six finishers were separated by only 0.12 seconds.
This marks McGrath's sixth career World Cup slalom victory and his first since crashing out of the Olympic slalom on February 16, 2026, in Bormio, Italy, where he was positioned to win gold. At the Olympics, his error allowed Kristoffersen to take bronze, while Braathen won the giant slalom for Brazil. McGrath's emotions were compounded by the recent death of his grandfather on the day of the Milano Cortina opening ceremony.
"I was not calm, I was very stressed and nervous all day," McGrath said. "The added pressure of the Slalom globe was for sure something that was new for me." He added, "To bounce back like this after the Olympics, I think he [grandfather] has something to do with it. He was looking over me today."
Kristoffersen, a four-time slalom Globe winner, expressed satisfaction with second place despite mistakes. "I'm super happy with the second place, super happy with the podium," he noted. "This is skiing and it's small margins."
Braathen, gracious in defeat, said, "It was mine to win today, but the best man stands on top and that is my good friend Atle."
In the slalom standings, McGrath leads with 552 points to Braathen's 511, followed by France's Clément Noël at 475 and Kristoffersen at 453. Switzerland's Loïc Meillard, the Olympic and world slalom champion, did not finish after straddling a gate in the first run. The season concludes with the final slalom in Hafjell, Norway, on March 25, where McGrath and Braathen, who grew up skiing together there, will contest the Crystal Globe.
"It's going to be epic," McGrath said of the showdown. "We've grown up skiing together on that slope."
