Loic Meillard turned earlier slalom bronze and giant-slalom silver into Olympic gold on Sunday, completing Switzerland’s first men’s three-medal sweep since Calgary 1988.
Meillard Wins Slalom Gold After McGrath DNF
Starting last among the leaders, the 27-year-old from Neuchâtel needed only to stay upright after Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath straddled gate five and recorded a DNF. Meillard punched the air at the next split, then coasted home with a 0.37-second cushion, finishing in 1:53.46 for the two runs. Fabio Gstrein of Austria took silver, 0.28 back, while four-time Crystal Globe winner Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway earned bronze, 0.89 behind, stretching his major-championship podium streak to nine.
Heavy Snow Hammers First Run, Ends Greek Skier’s Career
Snow fell so hard in Bormio that visibility dropped below 60 metres, yet McGrath still posted a 56.14 that no one matched. Meillard’s 56.73 was the only other sub-57 time. Timon Haugan and Gstrein stayed within a second; defending champion Clément Noel of France lost nearly two. Lucas Braathen’s bid for a second Brazilian medal ended at gate 14, and a rash of DNFs—including Manuel Feller, Alex Vinatzer and Eduard Hallberg—cut the field to 31 qualifiers. Bib 20-30 saw AJ Ginnis of Greece ski a clean 59.42, wave to family in the finish area, and confirm his retirement after 14 seasons and a 2023 World Championship silver. “I traded sea breeze for start gates,” Ginnis said. “Zero regrets.”
Gstrein Delivers Austria’s Lone Men’s Alpine Medal
Gstrein’s second-run 57.07 was not the fastest, but it protected a 0.78-second overnight lead and pushed him past Haugan into the medals. “I told myself, ‘Green light equals podium,’” the 26-year-old Salzburger said. The silver is his first at a global championship and Austria’s only men’s alpine medal of the Games after shutouts in downhill, super-G and combined.
Kristoffersen Grabs Bronze on “Off Day”
Kristoffersen, who turns 32 next month, said he “never found rhythm” yet still edged first-run pacesetter Tanguy Nef of Switzerland by 0.89 and Armand Marchant of Belgium by 0.02. The bronze is his fourth across three Olympics and adds to six World Championship podiums. “Bronze on a bad day beats fourth on a perfect one,” he shrugged, recalling his own straddle in PyeongChang 2018: “I’ve been Atle—so I know the sting.”
Records and Next Races
Meillard becomes the first Swiss man to collect three medals at one Winter Games and only the fifth alpine skier ever to sweep gold, silver and bronze, joining Janica Kostelić and Tina Maze among others. Switzerland finishes the alpine program with four medals, matching Austria for the most by any nation. Focus now shifts to the women’s slalom on 18 February, where Mikaela Shiffrin, Wendy Holdener and Petra Vlhová could close the Milano-Cortina fortnight with another milestone.
Useful Resources
- FIS official results portal
- Swiss-Ski athlete hub
- “Inside the Gates” podcast
- Ski Racing Media archive
Source: Original race reporting
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