Kristoffersen beats McGrath to lead Norwegian 1-2 in last World Cup slalom before Olympics

SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) — Henrik Kristoffersen ended his wait of nearly 11 months for another World Cup win on Wednesday, triumphing in the last slalom before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Racing under the floodlights, Kristoffersen beat his Norwegian teammate and first-run leader Atle Lie McGrath by 0.34 seconds with an all-attacking, wild final run.

His 34th career victory could have hardly come in a more fitting place, as Kristoffersen lives in Salzburg, an hour-long drive from Schladming, where he also earned his first career win in January 2014.

“It’s a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I don’t cry a lot, and I never cry for pain or sadness, but today I cry for joy,” Kristoffersen said in a tearful course-side interview.

Kristoffersen won the traditional night race for a record fifth time, moving him one past Austrian standout Benjamin Raich, the two-time gold medalist from the 2006 Olympics who won the event four times between 1999 and 2007.

“Fifth time Schladming, I guess this is my house,” Kristoffersen said.

The victory also moved him within two wins of Norwegian record holder Aksel Lund Svindal, who took 36 career World Cups before retiring in 2019.

Defending Olympic champion Clément Noël posted the fastest second-run time and the Frenchman improved from eighth to third position, trailing Kristoffersen by 0.54 seconds.

The rest of the field, led by Lucas Pinheiro Braathen in fourth, was more than 1.5 seconds off the pace.

Loic Meillard, who beat Pinheiro Braathen to win a GS on the same hill Tuesday, skied out in the second run of the slalom.

Pinheiro Braathen lost his lead in the slalom season standings. Now on 451 points, he trails his former Norwegian teammate McGrath by a single point.

Kristoffersen, who became the seventh different winner in nine slalom races this season, climbed to fifth with 373 points.

There are two more slaloms scheduled in March.

The last men’s World Cup race before the Olympics is a downhill in Crans-Montana on Sunday.

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