ALTA BADIA, Italy – US-born Atle Lee McGrath edged out Olympic champion Clement Noel to victory in the slalom World Cup on Monday.
In the last World Cup race before Christmas, Noel was first after a morning run but lost the lead early in the second run at the Gran Risa circuit.
McGrath, who competes for Team Norway, finished 0.30 seconds ahead of Noel and 0.39 faster than third-placed world champion Loïc Maillard. In February, McGrath won silver, losing to Maillard.
“I'm incredibly happy. It feels absolutely crazy,” said McGrath, who said he missed out on a slalom win a month ago with a third-place finish in Gurgl, Austria.
McGrath now has four World Cup victories, all in slalom, where he has also finished second six times.
The 25-year-old Norwegian and Vermont native is shaping up to be a strong medal contender in slalom at the Cortina Olympics in Milan on February 16 in Bormio.
McGrath's father Felix competed for the United States at the 1988 Calgary Olympics in slalom and giant slalom.
Timon Hogan maintained his lead in the World Cup Slalom standings throughout the season, finishing fourth, 0.53 behind teammate McGrath.
Hogan moved up to second place in the overall World Cup standings, behind four-time defending champion Marco Odermatt, who is not competing in slalom.
Odermatt's closest rival was Marco Schwarz, who failed to finish on Monday after winning the classic giant slalom on Sunday.
The next men's World Cup race will also take place on Saturday in Italy – the super-G in Livigno. It's close to Bormio, where all the men's mountain races at the Olympics will take place.
