With Haugan's victory

Braathen takes a hit: McGrath wins the slalom crystal globe

Atle Lie McGrath secured the slalom Crystal Globe.(Bild: AP/Gabriele Facciotti)

Atle Lie McGrath secured the small slalom crystal globe in a dramatic slalom final in Hafjell. The Norwegian benefited from a mistake by Lucas Pinheiro Braathen. As a result, an eighth-place finish was enough for the Norwegian in the end. Meanwhile, his compatriot Timon Haugan from Norway claimed the day’s victory ahead of Loic Meillard from Switzerland and Finland’s Eduard Hallberg. The top ÖSV athlete was Michael Matt in seventh place.  

The final Alpine Skiing World Cup race of the winter went to Norway’s Timon Haugan. The local hero won Wednesday’s slalom in Hafjell ahead of Swiss Olympic champion Loic Meillard (+0.44 sec.) and Finland’s Eduard Hallberg (+1.03). The last remaining Crystal Globe went to Haugan’s compatriot Atle Lie McGrath, for whom eighth place was enough to win the discipline title. Michael Matt was the top Austrian, finishing in seventh place (+1.70).

“It was the most complex mix of emotions I’ve ever felt. When I saw that I was winning the slalom crystal globe, it was a bit too much for me—too many emotions,” McGrath told ORF. The 25-year-old embraced his friend and rival Lucas Pinheiro Braathen in tears at the finish line. “He told me that in life, everything comes back around.” McGrath was referring to the Olympic slalom, where he had faltered in the second run after holding a comfortable lead at the halfway point. “If I hadn’t won this crystal globe, it would have remained very difficult for me.”

The Norwegian entered the season finale with a 41-point lead over Braathen. His former teammate, now competing for Brazil, who had claimed victory and the crystal globe in the giant slalom the day before, was unable to mount a challenge this time. He made a mistake right after the start in the decisive race and had to let his childhood friend McGrath take the lead. For the Norwegian, it was his first crystal globe. “We were two 12-year-old boys from the same ski club. He won the crystal globe in giant slalom, I won it in slalom—in the same season. That’s crazy,” said McGrath.

No ÖSV Podium Finish to Close Out the Season
The ÖSV men did not contend for a podium spot in the season finale. Matt held onto his seventh-place position from the first run in the second run, while Olympic silver medalist Fabio Gstrein finished in twelfth place (+2.58). “It wasn’t a good run; it was a bit of a mess,” Matt acknowledged, describing his second run as a “disaster.” However, he drew a solid conclusion about the season. “The goal at the start was to consistently finish in the points so I could make the top 10. I managed that quite well; the process and the direction are right,” said the Tyrolean.

Gstrein called it a “devilishly frustrating season. I can take the Olympics with me and give it my all again next year.” For Marco Schwarz and Dominik Raschner, it was only enough for 19th and 22nd places in the 26-man final field. Haugan, on the other hand, overtook Meillard in the final and celebrated his sixth World Cup slalom victory.