Atle Lie McGrath out after surgery

Alte Lie McGrath super-G Courchevel World Championships: GEPA

Atle Lie McGrath underwent surgery Friday. Thorough examinations after his crash during the World Championship super-G competition showed more severe damage than first believed.

McGrath was a big favorite in several events coming into the recent 2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. He finished fifth in the men’s opening event, the alpine combined. Two days later, on Feb. 9, he showed strong skiing at the start of the men’s super-G race. Then, his skis went out in a split; he was flipped over on his back, tumbled, slid and hit the fence. McGrath got up and skied slowly to the finish area, where he walked into an examination room with a limp.

ACL

After returning to Norway, McGrath underwent an MRI and clinical examinations of his left knee, which showed injuries to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The injury required surgery. According to the Norwegian team doctor Marc Strauss, he will undergo nine to 12 months of rehabilitation under the direction of the Norwegian Ski Federation health team and the Olympic training center (Olympiatoppen).

McGrath injured the internal ligament in the same knee in January 2021 during a fall in a World Cup giant slalom race in Adelboden, Switzerland.

Challenging

“The last ten days have been extremely challenging for me, both physically and mentally,” McGrath said during a press conference in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday, according to the Norwegian Alpine Ski Team. The fact that the injury is so severe is distressing news for the 22-year-old ski racing star who returned from his previous injury a little over a year ago.

“However, this time, I know what is needed to come back. I am lucky to have so many people who support me along the way, including the team, the support team, partners, family and friends. I know I must be patient and that this will require an extreme amount of hard work in the time to come. I will utilize this time well and my goal is to come back even stronger than before. I hope you will cheer for me,” McGrath says.

Results

On January 8, McGrath placed second in the World Cup slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland, sharing the podium with teammate and skiing buddy for the past 11 years, Lucas Braathen, who won the race. Sharing the podium fulfilled a childhood dream for both athletes. McGrath had recorded seven top-7 results in World Cup slalom, giant slalom and super-G races during the first months of the 2022-23 season.