Olympic Games 2026: throwing of sticks, isolation… the enormous breakdown of the Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath after his failure in the slalom

This is one of the images from the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. A grotesque, improbable scene. Favorite for the gold medal in the slalom event after finishing at the top of a daunting first round, the Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath missed out during the second this Monday. Stepping through a door even before the first intermediary…

A failure clearly impossible to digest for the 25-year-old skier. Shortly after his mistake, the skier began banging his poles on the poles before throwing his poles off the slope. Completely beside himself, he threw them with violence on the other side of the protective nets.

He walks alone towards the forest

But the tantrums didn’t stop there because after taking off his skis, he crossed the protective nets on the right of the slope to walk alone on another slope, heading towards the fir trees. An unreal scene that seemed to last forever.

He ended up lying down in the snow several dozen meters from the trail, on the edge of the woods. Despite the arrival of officials, he remained frozen in the snow. Consumed by frustration and anger. A behavior which says a lot about the disappointment of a champion who is aware of having come so close to an Olympic title.

Atle Lie McGrath confided on his social networks a few days ago that he lost his grandfather at the very start of the Olympics. A difficult personal situation which may have had an impact on this last descent.