This Norwegian Slalom Skier Was So Devastated After He Lost Olympic Gold He Walked Off Into The Woods
“I thought I would get some peace and quiet, which I didn’t because photographers and police found me out in the woods,” McGrath said. “I just needed some time for myself."
Norwegian skier Atle Lie McGrath walked off the race course during the finals of the men’s slalom after he failed to win Olympic gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Monday, Feb. 16.
25-year-old McGrath, a five-time World Cup winner and reigning World Cup champion, had been leading in the men’s slalom after his first run.
However, his Olympic medal hopes were dashed just seconds into his final run when he straddled a gate, resulting in a "did not finish" (DNF), which is when a competitor is unable to finish the race.
McGrath was seen throwing his poles off to one side before skiing off to the other side of the course.
He then unclipped from his skis, walked off towards the woods before flopping down in the snow.
In an interview later, McGrath, whose grandfather had just died on the day of the the Milan Cortina Olympics’ opening ceremony, told reporters he just needed to get away.
“I thought I would get some peace and quiet, which I didn’t because photographers and police found me out in the woods,” he said. “I just needed some time for myself.”
The moment quickly went viral, with people relating to McGrath.
Fans and fellow skiers also reacted to McGrath’s breakdown with sympathy and understanding.
“What he’s gone through these last 10, 12 days, it’s been really tough,” McGrath’s teammate Timon Haugan said. “He’s been really sad. He started to do better and today he’s going through… We need to really back him up today.”
“We’re all different and we’re allowed to react in our own way,” bronze medalist and fellow teammate Henrik Kristoffersen said.
"Heartbreaking. The man lost his grandfather during the opening ceremony, hasn't even had the time to properly grieve, but still managed to compete and was leading after the first run, only to straddle a gate right in front of the Swiss coach… Brutal stuff,” one person posted on Reddit.
The DNF by McGrath, who was last to ski, solidified Swiss skier Loïc Meillard’s gold medal position.
In slalom, the skier with the lowest combined time of two completed runs wins.
"Dear Fafao❤️ I gave it everything. Chasing the biggest dream of them all. I tried to pick up the broken pieces of my heart this past week, just for it to break all over again. Take care of the people you love, you never know how long you have them❤️,” McGrath wrote in a tribute post to his late grandfather.
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