He came third
Ski star freaks out – and destroys poles
January 12, 2026 – 3:25 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
After narrowly missing out on victory, Henrik Kristoffersen lost his temper. Instead of interviews, he dealt with his sticks.
The Norwegian ski racer Henrik Kristoffersen drew attention to himself in a strange way on Sunday. In the slalom in Adelboden, the athlete was initially in the lead, but after an unsuccessful second round he fell off, but still achieved his 99th World Cup podium and came third behind the day’s winner Paco Rassat and his compatriot Atle Lie McGrath. But then things got strange.
While Swiss television SRF had planned an interview with him, Kristoffersen’s appearance was delayed. The reason? The denouement followed live in front of the cameras: A Norwegian supervisor explained to the moderators: “He’s breaking some ski poles.” Reporter Päddy Kälin was visibly surprised, but commented on the situation calmly: “Ah, he’s breaking sticks. Yes, then he’s probably not in a position to talk to us right now.”
Only later did Kristoffersen explain in an interview with the Swiss media “20 Minuten”: “I’m happy with third place, but I’m not happy with everything. That’s just how skiing is.” He remained tight-lipped about the reasons for his outburst: “I’ll keep that to myself.”
Despite the scene off the track, the focus returned to the sporting success at the official awards ceremony. Kristoffersen posed for the photographers with the French winner Rassat and his second-placed compatriot McGrath. He appeared forgiving on social networks and wrote: “I really wanted to win today, but I’m super happy to be back on the podium with a solid performance.”