Ski star Atle Lie McGrath. © ANSA / ANTONIO BAT

Burnout and fatigue after the World Cup success

After a strenuous racing weekend in Kranjska Gora, Norwegian ski racer Atle Lie McGrath spoke openly about his mental and physical exhaustion. The 24-year-old feels burned out and tired after intense races and great successes.

March 06, 2025

From: sn

"It took me a while to realise that all the pressure and craziness of the World Championships had caught up with me," McGrath wrote on Instagram. After months of hard work and achieving his sporting goals, the Norwegian felt an emptiness.

"When you fight so hard for a clear goal and then finally achieve it, it's easy to feel empty. This is a new experience for me and something I have to learn to deal with," the 24-year-old wrote on Instagram on Monday. Just three weeks ago he won the silver medal in the slalom at the Ski World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm.

Norwegian lace provides comfort

Despite his current exhaustion, McGrath remains combative. The strong performances of his teammates Henrik Kristoffersen and Timon Haugan as well as his former teammate Lucas Braathen last weekend have motivated him again: "Luckily, after the performances of Henrik on Saturday and Timon on Sunday, I didn't lack motivation for the season finale! I'm proud of my boys."

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A post shared by Atle Lie McGrath (@atleliemcgrath)

Kristoffersen finished first on both days. While Braathen joined his former teammate in second place on Saturday, it was Timon Haugan on Sunday. McGrath was able to secure eighth place on both days. He wrote on Instagram: "I didn't ski at my best, but I'm still happy to have fought through."

The mental health of athletes is increasingly becoming a focus of the sporting world. More and more athletes are speaking openly about their mental challenges and are helping to break the taboo surrounding mental stress in high-performance sport. McGrath's openness is another example of how important it is to consider not only physical but also mental health in elite sport.