Norway secures a podium clean sweep at the Slalom Alpine Ski World Cup in Wengen, with Atle Lie McGrath claiming the top spot, Timon Haugan finishing second, and Henrik Kristoffersen coming in third in the battle for victory.
It's McGrath's fifth podium finish and first win of the 2024-2025 Alpine Ski World Cup season.
The 24-year-old Norwegian's most recent win was nearly three years ago in Courchevel on March 20, 2022.
Norway now boasts five wins and six podiums in the nine Wengen races since 2015.
"Relief. This was the second time in a row, in a week, where I had over half a second lead after the first run and today I decided I was going to ski smart and if it was enough, it was enough. 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," McGrath said.
28-year-old Timon Haugan took his second podium finish of the season today after winning in Alta Badia in December. It's his 7th podium in the Alpine Ski World Cup.
“I didn’t have a good feeling when I crossed the line. I was a bit surprised when I saw the time, I made some mistakes. The slope is extremely difficult and demanding so I am really happy to have a great result here," Haugan said.
Henrik Kristoffersen has finished fourth, fifth, and third in the last four Slalom events since winning the Slalom in Val d’Isere in December. Kristoffersen, with 56 podiums, including 24 wins in this discipline, is in fourth position in the ranking of most podiums in Slalom. Only three other men have won more podium finishes in World Cup Slalom events than Kristoffersen: Ingemar Stenmark (81), Marcel Hirscher (65), and Alberto Tomba (57).
After seven Slalom races, Henrik Kristoffersen (435 points) is currently leading the Slalom standings ahead of Loic Meillard (370) and Clement Noel (364) in second and third respectively.
"I am not 100% sure that the margins have been on my side in the last four or five races. If I had been three-tenths faster in the last four races it would have looked insane. Now it looks really good, but we just have to keep pushing and keep working. Eventually, the margins will be on our side, that's how it works," Kristoffersen said.
Men's Slalom is still searching for a true dominant figure after the era of Marcel Hirscher. Competition in the Alpine Ski World Cup is fierce. Since the start of the 2021-2022 winter season, 16 skiers -Henrik Kristoffersen (5), Manuell Feller (4), Clément Noël (5), Linus Strasser (3), Daniel Yule (3), Lucas Braathen (3), Timon Haugan (2), Atle Lie McGrath (3), Ramon Zenhäusern (2), Sebastian Foss-Solevåg, Johannes Strolz, Dave Ryding, Alexander Steen Olsen, Marco Schwarz, Loic Meillard, and Albert Popov- have won at least one Alpine Ski World Cup event.
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