Atle Lie McGrath has issued an emotional statement following his meltdown at the Winter Olympics on Monday (16 February).
The Team Norway skier was comfortably ahead in the Winter Olympics race, only to suffer a costly mistake in his second run.
After holding a 59-second lead, he straddled a gate on and finished in last place behind the top-30 racers.
McGrath launched his ski poles out of frustration and stormed off the course where he sat in the snow with his hands on his head.
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Taking to Instagram, the Olympian said the loss made his week even more difficult following by the recent death of his grandfather on the opening ceremony day.
"Dear Fafao. I gave it everything. Chasing the biggest dream of them all. I tried to pick up the broken pieces of my heart this past week, just for it to break all over again," he wrote alongside an old picture with his grandad.
"Take care of the people you love, you never know how long you have them."
His mistake lead to Loic Meillard of Switzerland winning gold, Fabio Gstrein of Austria taking home silver, and Henrik Kristofferson of Norway awarded the bronze.
“I thought that I would get some peace and quiet, which I didn’t,” he said to the media at a Bormio hotel two hours after the race.
“Because photographers and police found me out in the woods. But I just needed some time for myself.
“I’m normally a guy that’s very good when it comes to perspective on things,” McGrath, the son of Felix McGrath who competed at the 1988 Calgary Olympics for the USA, added.
“And if I don’t ski well in a race, I can at least tell myself that I’m healthy and my family’s healthy and the people I love are here.
“So that’s nice, but that’s not been the case. I’ve lost someone I love so much and that makes it really hard.”
Teammate Timon Haugan, who finished fourth, said: “He’s been really sad. He started to do better and today he’s going through... we need to really back him up today. It’s just heartbreaking. “He’s doing everything perfect.
“He did a very good first run, put himself in a position to win the Olympic gold. He does everything right and then that happens in 15 seconds.”
McGrath said what he now needs is to 'spend time with the people I love'.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
Topics: Winter Olympics, Olympics, Sport
Anish Vij