BORMIO, Italy — The Olympic Games, like any sporting event, can stir the soul with the ecstasy of glory, the devastation of defeat, and everything in between. Near misses, mistakes, notable events that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

And so was the case in northern Italy on Monday. Norwegian skier Atre Lee McGrath walks off into the distance, crushed by everything that passes by. In the spin, he crossed the gate and the gold medal that had been in his sight disappeared. His heart was already heavy after the death of his beloved grandfather, Svein Lee, at the start of these games. And now, the missed gate. A blood gushing, stomach-churning disappointment.

A few meters away, the Swiss coach raised his arms in celebration as Switzerland once again won gold, securing the country’s eighth medal in men’s alpine skiing this year. And at the bottom of the hill, newly crowned Olympic men’s slalom champion Loïc Meillard had tears in his eyes. Believe it or not, you’re walking on air.

McGrath, a five-time World Cup slalom champion and current World Cup leader in slalom, held a relatively comfortable lead after the first run. The difference between him and Maillard was 0.59 seconds, and with conditions improving after early morning snow and afternoon sunshine, McGrath’s demands seemed relatively simple.

Yes, there was pressure. This was the Olympics, and gold medals were on the line. And yes, in alpine skiing, especially on a formidable slope like the Stelvio, there is no foreseeable conclusion. Still, McGrath worked hard, coming out first in low visibility and falling snow, setting a first run time of 56.14 seconds that no one could beat.

As he prepared to ski downhill one last time, he knew that if he could run faster than Meillard’s total time of 1:53.61, he had a good chance of winning gold. It was Advantage McGrath, so he attacked. I didn’t hold back. After starting the season with two DNFs in three races, he told himself he would take risks for the rest of the season.

However, an error occurred 15 seconds into the run. We missed the gate and the chance was lost. As the world watched, he threw down his pole, unstrapped his skis, and ran off to himself. If it weren’t for the surrounding fence, McGrath might have gone into the heart of the forest. He walked as far as he could before resting on the snow. He later said, “I needed to get away from everything.”

“I thought we would have some peace and quiet, but it didn’t happen because we were found by photographers and police in the forest,” he told Olympic Media Services. “I just needed some time to myself.”

It wasn’t just the gold medal that disappeared, but also the silver medal (won by Austria’s Fabio Gustrein) and bronze medal (winner by Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen). The DNF next to McGrath’s name when he was at the top of the standings was a great performance on the first run in treacherous conditions, where 52 of the 96 participants finished the race, including Olympic giant slalom champion and close friend Lucas Pinheiro Braaten.

But it’s a slalom race. That may be cruel. “That’s part of the game,” Maillard said. This year, she wore her third Olympic medal around her neck, adding a gold medal to her team’s silver and giant slalom bronze medals.

“I’ve been in his position other times,” said the 29-year-old Swiss. “Slalom is very tough. You can be first at the start and cross the first gate. That’s the beauty of slalom. When it goes well, it’s beautiful.”

And so it is. Hypnotic moments as skiers zigzag at speed, moving back and forth between closely placed poles. Spectators are drawn into this dangerous situation, and the soon-to-be Olympic champion is forced to wait at the finish line knowing that his gold medal could be snatched away from him within a minute. Maillard revealed that McGrath was not stressed when he was in the starting gate.

“I knew it was going to be a great match. He’s been skiing really well so far,” he said.

However, the contest did not unfold as expected. McGrath did not respond as expected.

As teammate Kristoffersen reminded everyone, Olympic athletes are human too. He has also crossed the gate before. He also cried after the race. “We are all different, so we are allowed to react in our own way,” the Norwegian told reporters.

These were the sentiments echoed by the Swiss coach, who celebrated near McGrath as the Norwegian’s world closed in on him. Thierry Mayne said his celebration was “in no way against Atre”. “Loïc won the race so we celebrated. That’s it… This is a difficult discipline. Next time it will be for Atre and Loïc will be absent.”

But your next time A big blow at the Olympics. As Maillard was hoisted onto the shoulders of members of the Swiss team and golden confetti rained down on him, McGrath made his way to the Norway team’s hotel. He told reporters that he would be 29 years old in four years. “I skied really well, but I still couldn’t finish it. That really hurts,” he said, according to the Olympic News Agency.

“Sportingly, it’s the worst moment. It’s not the worst moment of my life, but it’s the worst moment of my career. It was one of the toughest moments of my life, considering everything that’s happened.”

Born in Vermont to an American father and Norwegian mother, McGrath moved to Norway when she was two years old. Her father, Felix, is a former U.S. alpine skier, and her mother, Thelma Lee, was a member of the University of Vermont’s NCAA cross-country ski team. However, it is said that it was his grandfather who inspired him.

Speaking about his grandfather at the Olympics, he said last week that competing in the Olympics “felt impossible” after losing someone close to him.

McGrath was off to the races. He showed up, and maybe that’s his victory.