McGrath dominates first run of night World Cup slalom as 2 favorites ski out

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, Italy — Atle Lie McGrath dominated the opening run of a men’s World Cup slalom on Wednesday as two of the favorites skied out of the night race in Madonna Di Campiglio.

Olympic champion Clement Noel, who won the opening two slalom races of the season, started powerfully but made it barely 10 gates before an error threw him off balance.

Norwegian skier Timon Haugan dominated the last slalom in Alta Badia but also went out after losing grip about halfway down the Canalone Miramonti course.

McGrath, who was second out of the gates, has an advantage of more than half a second and the 24-year-old Norwegian will be aiming for a first victory in almost three years — since back-to-back slalom wins in Austria in March 2022.

McGrath leads Loic Meillard of Switzerland by 0.62 seconds and Croatia’s Samuel Kolega by 0.65.

World champion Henrik Kristoffersen, who won the other slalom this season and leads the discipline standings, struggled on a difficult course set by his coach — Jorgen Nordlund — and was ninth, more than a second behind his teammate McGrath.

The second run will be set by Swiss coach Matteo Joris.