Wednesday, February 18, 2026-At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Bormio, Norwegian alpine skier Atle Lie McGrath experienced one of the most emotional moments of the games during the men’s slalom event.
McGrath, who had built a commanding lead after the first run, saw his gold-medal hopes collapse when a mistake — missing a gate in his final run — instantly eliminated him from medal contention.
In a raw display of frustration and heartbreak, McGrath angrily threw his ski poles off the course and then skied past the finish area toward the nearby woods. Reports say he walked alone into the snow-covered trees near the course’s edge as he tried to process the sudden end to his Olympic dream. His reaction unfolded in front of cameras and stunned spectators.
The disappointment was compounded by McGrath’s personal circumstances: he had been competing with an emotional weight after the recent death of his grandfather, whom he hoped to honor with an Olympic victory.
After a period of solitude, McGrath returned from the woods and shared that he needed time and space to come to terms with what he described as one of the toughest moments of his career. In the end, Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard took the gold medal in the slalom event.
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