SKIING: McGrath closing on slalom World Cup title after Olympic nightmare

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath claimed victory in the men's Alpine skiing World Cup slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on Sunday, edging closer to his first Crystal Globe in the discipline.

McGrath, bouncing back after his disappointing Olympic slalom exit, now leads Norwegian-born Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen by 41 points with one race remaining in the season.

Braathen, McGrath's former teammate, finished third, while Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen took second, just 0.01 seconds behind McGrath. The season's final slalom is scheduled for March 25 in Hafjell, Norway.

“So many times in my career I’ve been on the wrong side of the hundredths,” said McGrath. “I’ve lost five victories with a combined two tenths. There’s no better place I could fight for the Globe. Lucas and I grew up skiing together in Hafjell, so it has a lot of special memories. It’s going to be a pretty cool fight until the end.”

McGrath set the fastest time in the first run, with Braathen 0.17 seconds behind and Belgium's Armand Marchant in third, aiming for only his second career podium. Marchant did not finish the second run, while Kristoffersen, fourth after the first run, posted a strong second run to stay 0.03 seconds ahead of Braathen. Austria's Michael Matt finished fourth, 0.06 seconds off the lead. The top six skiers were separated by only 0.12 seconds after both runs.

“I was so nervous before the second run,” McGrath said. “I thought too much about the overall standings, but the hundredths were on my side, and I’m so happy with it.”

McGrath dedicated the win to his late grandfather, who passed away on the day of the Milano Cortina Olympic opening ceremony last month. “I miss him a lot, and to bounce back like this after the Olympics, I think he had something to do with it. He was looking over me today,” he added. -Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters