Atle Lie McGrath / GEPA picture

Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath delivered the fastest run of the morning to take the lead after the first run of the men’s World Cup slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, stopping the clock at 48.23 seconds.

Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen sits just 0.17 seconds back, while Belgium’s Armand Marchant holds third as a tightly packed group prepares for the decisive afternoon run on the Podkoren 3 course.

Top 5 After Run 1

• 1st 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath (NOR, 2000, Head) — 48.23
• 2nd 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA, 2000, Atomic, Oakley) — +0.17
• 3rd 🇧🇪 Armand Marchant (BEL, 1997) — +0.55
• 4th 🇳🇴 Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR, 1994) — +0.56
• 5th 🇦🇹 Fabio Gstrein (AUT, 1997) — +0.62

Who Set the Early Pace on Podkoren 3?

The first skier onto the morning course was France’s Clément Noël, who established the early benchmark with a run of 49.01. Despite setting the initial standard, the French skier shook his head in the finish area, clearly feeling there was time left on the course

That feeling proved correct moments later.

Pinheiro Braathen, starting with bib 2, attacked the steep Slovenian course with confidence and crossed the finish 0.61 seconds faster than Noël to take the lead.

Early drama quickly followed.

Bib 3 Timon Haugan pushed aggressively but turned too early in the final sector and straddled a gate, ending his race.

Henrik Kristoffersen, starting fourth, produced a strong run but slotted into second 0.39 seconds behind the Brazilian.

Moments later, the Olympic slalom champion Loïc Meillard appeared poised to challenge the lead before making a mistake in the third sector and skiing out.

How Did Lie McGrath Take the Lead?

The season slalom leader Lie McGrath, racing with bib 6, produced the defining run of the morning.

Although slightly behind the early splits, the Norwegian unleashed the fastest final sector to post 48.23 seconds, moving 0.17 seconds ahead of Pinheiro Braathen.

His powerful finish on the final pitch of Podkoren 3 proved decisive.

Who Challenged the Leaders?

The strongest performance from the next group, bibs 8-15, came from Belgium’s Armand Marchant, racing with bib 12.

Despite one significant mistake in the middle section of the course, Marchant recovered well and limited the damage, finishing 0.55 seconds behind Lie McGrath to move into third place.

Right behind him, Austria’s Fabio Gstrein, bib 14, the Olympic silver medalist, delivered another podium-contending run, crossing the line 0.62 seconds back.

At that point the race appeared to be shaping into a battle between Lie McGrath and Pinheiro Braathen for the victory, while Marchant, Kristoffersen, and Gstrein formed a tight group chasing the remaining podium places.

But this is slalom — where mistakes often open the door to surprises.

Did Late Starters Take Advantage?

With several of the first 30 racers failing to finish, late starters had the opportunity to move into the top 30 and qualify for the second run.

One of the strongest late performances came from Austria’s Joshua Sturm, starting with bib 43, who charged into 14th place, showing the Podkoren 3 course continued to hold up well for aggressive skiing.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team — Second Run Qualifiers

Two racers from the Stifel U.S. Ski Team advanced to the second run.

• 20th 🇺🇸 Benjamin Ritchie, Bib 30, USA, 2000, Head — +2.06
• 24th 🇺🇸 Jett Seymour, Bib 47, USA, 1998, Atomic — +2.19

Ritchie delivered an aggressive run to secure a second run in what will be his final World Cup start of the season. Seymour, starting deep in the field, also produced a fast run to safely qualify.

Two other Americans did not finish. Luke Winters skied out earlier on the course, while Cooper Puckett straddled a gate in the final sector.

Which Bib 31+ Skiers Qualified for the Second Run?

Several racers starting outside the top-30 bib numbers managed to break into the top 30 and earn a second run.

• 14th 🇦🇹 Joshua Sturm, Bib 43, AUT, 2001 — +1.63
• 15th 🇨🇭 Ramon Zenhäusern, Bib 34, SUI, 1992 — +1.68
• 19th 🇫🇮 Jesper Pohjolainen, Bib 54, FIN, 2001 — +2.00
• 22nd 🇳🇴 Hans Grahl-Madsen, Bib 41, NOR, 2003 — +2.10
• 24th 🇺🇸 Jett Seymour, Bib 47, USA, 1998, Atomic — +2.19
• 25th 🇮🇹 Tommaso Saccardi, Bib 50, ITA, 2001, Nordica — +2.22
• 27th 🇫🇷 Antoine Azzolin, Bib 42, FRA, 2003 — +2.37
• 29th 🇫🇷 Auguste Aulnette, Bib 45, FRA, 2002 — +2.40

These late starters took advantage of good skiing, several DNFs earlier in the field and a course that remained in good condition to move into the second run.

What Happened for GB Snowsport?

None of the GB Snowsport racers qualified for the second run.

Laurie Taylor straddled in the final sector and will now watch the second run closely while hoping his points position remains strong enough to qualify for the World Cup Finals.

Meanwhile World Cup rookie Zak Carrick-Smith reached the finish, crossing the line 4.25 seconds behind Lie McGrath in 51st place, gaining valuable experience at the World Cup level.

Can Anyone Catch Lie McGrath?

The afternoon run remains wide open.

While Lie McGrath leads, Pinheiro Braathen sits just 0.17 seconds back, and a tightly packed group including Marchant, Kristoffersen, and Gstrein remains within striking distance.

In slalom, the smallest mistake can quickly change everything — setting the stage for a dramatic final run in Kranjska Gora.

First Run top thirty

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First Run Analysis of the fastest, North American and British Qualifiers