Lebanese skier Andrea al-Hayek crashes out in 2nd run of Olympic slalom

BEIRUT — Franco-Lebanese skier Andrea al-Hayek crashed out of the men’s alpine skiing slalom on Monday, ending his Olympic debut before the finish line.

After finishing 38th in the first run, the 17-year-old "straddled" a gate early in his second run around 3:30 p.m. (Beirut time). He collided with a pole, lost his balance and veered off course, forcing him to stop and preventing him from appearing in the final standings.

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Earlier that morning, Hayek completed his first run in 1 minute 10.64 seconds, 14.50 seconds behind Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath, who led with 56.14 seconds. McGrath would later make a similar mistake in the second run, clearing the way for Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard to claim gold, Austria’s Fabio Gstrein silver, and Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen bronze.

The race took place on the Stelvio slopes of Vallecetta mountain, where heavy snowfall created poor visibility and contributed to multiple withdrawals during the first run.

Hayek, who qualified for the Olympics at the last minute, was making his first Olympic appearance in the Italian Dolomites. He is one of only two athletes representing Lebanon at these Games, alongside Samer Tawk, who finished 107th in Friday's 10 km individual cross-country skiing event.