World champion Loic Meillard leads Kitzbühel slalom after 1st run. Atle Lie McGrath skies out

Audio By Carbonatix

KITZBÜHEL, Austria (AP) — Slalom world champion Loic Meillard posted the fastest time and World Cup discipline leader Atle Lie McGrath skied out on Sunday in the opening run of the final event of the classic Hahnenkamm weekend.

Meillard beat Eduard Hallberg of Finland by 0.35 seconds, followed by third-placed Henrik Kristoffersen, who led a group of four racers who were all between 0.47 and 0.52 behind.

Meillard won the world title in Austria last year and was seeking his first slalom win of the current season after two podiums in December, though the Swiss skier did win a giant slalom in France last month.

McGrath went top of the standings last week after winning in Wengen, where he became only the second skier this season with more than one slalom win and positioned himself as one of the favourites for the Feb. 16 race at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

On Sunday, the United States-born Norwegian was 0.27 behind Meillard at the first split and then missed a gate shortly afterward.

“I’m obviously very disappointed and it hurts a lot,” McGrath said. “I was at the start with a good mindset. I really tried to push and stuff like that happens.”

Paco Rassat, the only other skier with two wins this season, was ninth. The Frenchman had 0.95 seconds to make up on Meillard in the final run later Sunday.

___

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing