Norway's McGrath leads after first slalom run in Gurgl
Norwegian skier Atle Lie McGrath clocked the fastest time in the first run of the men's slalom in Gurgl on Saturday.
Under a clear blue sky in the Austrian Alps, the 25-year-old, who started fifth, was able to best navigate the less-than-ideal conditions after recent snow.
McGrath crossed the line in 52.12 seconds, 0.17sec faster than Finland's Eduard Hallberg and Switzerland's Tanguy Nef.
The battle for the podium looks set to be fierce in the second run, with seven skiers within half a second of each other and 19 skiers within a second, including joint-World Cup overall leader Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil (0.73sec).
The second run is scheduled to start at 1230 GMT.
R.Ryan--NG