McGrath Wins Wengen Slalom as Norway Dominates Podium

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath won the men's World Cup slalom in Wengen, leading a Norwegian sweep of the podium ahead of Timon Haugan and Henrik Kristoffersen.

Atle Lie McGrath led a Norwegian podium sweep in the men's World Cup slalom in Wengen, Switzerland, on Sunday. McGrath, 24, secured his third World Cup win and first in three years, finishing with a combined time of 1min 45.94sec. He was followed by fellow Norwegians Timon Haugan, 28, and Henrik Kristoffersen, 30, who finished second and third, respectively.

McGrath had dominated the first run, leading Kristoffersen by 0.43sec. In the second run, Loic Meillard of Switzerland posted the fastest time, with McGrath finishing 1.29sec behind. However, McGrath's overall time was enough to secure his fifth podium finish of the season and fourth in the slalom. Reflecting on his victory, McGrath said, “In Wengen, you hear everything at the start and I knew it was already double Norwegian so I felt like it was my duty to make it triple Norwegian.”

McGrath's win was a testament to his strategic skiing, as he decided to prioritize caution over speed in the second run. “This was the second time in a row, in a week, where I had over (half) a second lead and today I decided I was going to ski smart and if it was enough, it was enough,” McGrath explained. When his win was confirmed, McGrath was overcome with emotion, saying, “When it was, I just couldn't believe it. All the emotions bottled up over the last years and last weeks came out at once.”

Henrik Kristoffersen extended his lead in the discipline standings to 65 points over Loic Meillard, who finished fifth after a remarkable recovery from 24th place after the first run. Kristoffersen's strong performance also impacted the standings of other top contenders, including France's Clement Noel, who finished 11th and dropped to third from second in the discipline standings after winning last weekend in Adelboden.

Kristoffersen's success in the discipline standings is also reflected in the overall World Cup standings, where he currently sits in second place, 232 points behind leader Marco Odermatt, who did not compete on Sunday. Despite his strong position, Kristoffersen acknowledged that he sometimes struggles with his mindset, saying, “Maybe (I am) a little bit hot in the head. I maybe want it a little bit too much, I maybe go in a little bit early at times and then I hit the tracks a little bit wrong.”

Atle Lie Mc Grath 🇳🇴 lights up Wengen! 🔥Stunning day for Norway Team ✨#fisalpine #wintersport #worldcupwengen pic.twitter.com/5oOewnt380

— FIS Alpine (@fisalpine) January 19, 2025

Kristoffersen continued, “Maybe I want it a little bit too much instead of just calming down and hitting the tracks. But that's how it is.” This self-awareness demonstrates Kristoffersen's ability to reflect on his performance and identify areas for improvement. Norway's dominance in the giant slalom was also evident in the season opener in Soelden, Austria, where they swept the men's World Cup podium.

Austrian Manuel Feller, last season's slalom Crystal Globe winner, finished eighth, marking a significant improvement after a challenging start to the season. Feller had failed to finish four times this season, a stark contrast to his impressive performance last season, where he won four slaloms, including Wengen.