Atle Lie McGrath mourned the death of his grandfather, who passed away while the skier was immersed in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. McGrath qualified for the Milan–Cortina Games, but was left with a heavy heart after receiving the tragic news ahead of his competition.
The Norwegian skier specialises in the technical events, slalom and giant slalom, and etched his name among the top young talents from his country.
Atle Lie McGrath Recalls His Grandfather’s Support Amid the Winter Olympics
McGrath hails from a family of skiers, as both his parents, Felix McGrath and Selma Lie, skied competitively, representing the United States and Norway, respectively. The 25-year-old holds dual citizenship and competes for Norway. Beyond the support of his parents, he also had the unwavering backing of his grandfather at every stage of his life, even when he chose to pursue bold career paths separate from theirs.
The Olympic athlete recently posted a long message, paying tribute to his grandfather who passed away during the Olympics opening ceremony. He expressed how painful it was to write the note, and reminisced about the moments his ‘Fafao’ intentionally took the long routes ‘ through bushes and shrubs’ during skiing or adventures to make them realize the importance of the journey and not the destination.
McGrath then said it would be hard for him to compete in Cortina with that thought, but he would still chase his dreams for his grandfather.
“I honestly don’t know how I’m going to manage the Olympics without you here. It just feels so unimportant. The only thing that keeps my head up is that you always wanted me to follow my dreams. I only ride because that’s exactly what you wanted me to do,” he wrote.
Among many who offered support to McGrath was Lindsey Vonn. She wrote on the comment section, “I’m so sorry 💔🙏🏻 hang in there. He is so proud of you.”
The Vermont-born grew up as a multisport athlete, having done cross-country skiing in his early years.
McGrath earned his first top finish of the 2025-26 World Cup season in the men’s slalom event in Alta Badia. He held off Clement Noel, who was the champion in the 2022 Beijing Games, and forced him 0.30s behind. Swiss skier Loïc Meillard rounded out the podium, just 0.39s behind the Norwegian.
He was more content with the win since he didn’t place in the Val d’Isere slalom race. The five-time World Cup winner’s next victory came in Wengen, Switzerland, on Jan. 18, 2026. He claimed the gold, while his close friend and Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro trailed as the runner-up. The duo celebrated with drinks, keeping the trophy on the table in front of them on a terrace in the Swiss mountains.
