Atle Lie McGrath made perfect use of starting number 1. © APA/afp / DIMITAR DILKOFF

A curious slalom run in Bormio

The first run of the men's Olympic slalom in Bormio was a veritable festival of DNFs. The difficult conditions also hampered many top athletes.

February 16, 2026

From: dl

Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath leads after the first run by almost six-tenths of a second over Switzerland's Loic Meillard. Austrian Fabio Gstrein is third, having already lost almost a second. But the intermediate result became secondary. The heavy snowfall on the flat slalom slope on the Stelvio caused the slalom skiers major problems. Those with the earlier bib numbers had an advantage, provided they managed to finish.

Among those who dropped out were Paco Rassat, Lucas Braathen, Eduard Hallberg, Manuel Feller, and Alex Vinatzer. Vinatzer, wearing bib number 14, slipped after just a few seconds but managed to stay in the race. However, in the middle section, Vinatzer, who was already 1,5 seconds behind after the first split, was finally eliminated.

Alex Vinatzer has also been eliminated. © APA/afp / DIMITAR DILKOFF

Other world-class slalom skiers like Clement Noel and Henrik Kristoffersen also struggled to find optimal grip. However, both the Frenchman and the Norwegian, currently seventh and sixth respectively, are still within striking distance of the medals. If conditions remain as they are, anything can still happen.

Saccardi best Azzurro

Surprisingly, the best Italian finisher was Tommaso Saccardi in 10th place. Besides Vinatzer, Tommaso Sala and Tobias Kastlunger from Enneberg also failed to finish. Saccardi, starting with bib number 37, delivered a sensational run. The final of the Olympic slalom in Bormio starts at 1:30 pm.