BORMIO, Italy, Feb 12 (Reuters) - When Norway's slalom specialist Atle Lie McGrath pushes out of the start gate seeking to plunder more Olympic gold for the nation's fabled 'attacking Vikings' he will do so in memory of the grandfather who inspired his sporting journey.
The 25-year-old was told the news he dreaded on the night of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony: that his grandfather Svein Lie had died, aged 83, after a battle with dementia.
"I'm not religious or spiritual, and nor was he, but it almost made me become spiritual because the timing of it was unbelievable," McGrath, 12th in the team combined but whose big medal shot will be in Monday's slalom, told Reuters from the team hotel in Bormio.
"I'm at least very happy I'm able to talk about it now because a couple days ago it was too tough. It's helped, but it put a lot of things in perspective for me."
McGrath was born in Vermont but moved to Norway aged two with his parents, father Felix, who raced on the U.S. ski team and Norwegian mother Selma Lie, a cross-country skier.
There he formed a close bond with his sports‑mad grandfather, a renowned cross-country skier who also played in the Wimbledon junior tennis championships as a youth.
"He was one of the best men I knew. He was the one who got my mum into cross-country skiing and also me into cross-country skiing. He really loved it," a proud McGrath said.
Birkebeinerrennet, Norway's famous mass‑participation cross-country ski race, was Svein's passion.
"If you're better than average in your age group, you get a mark (medal). He had over 50. He competed 50 years consecutively!" McGrath said. "He was a huge inspiration and the one who made me fall in love with sports, even if he didn't know much about Alpine skiing."
As well as teaching his grandsons to ski, helping with homework and savouring nature, Svein taught McGrath that 'uncertain things are fun'.
"Every time we went hiking in the woods, he would say 'let's go off trail and let's where we end up', that was his way of doing life," he said.
SLALOM LEADER
McGrath's Alpine skiing path has taken him right to the top.
He arrived at the Olympics as World Cup slalom leader, just ahead of his friend and former teammate Lucas Pinheiro who now races in the colours of Brazil.
Victories in Alta Badia and Wengen and runner-up spots in Adelboden and Schladming mean he will be one of the favourites in the technical disciplines, starting with Saturday's giant slalom on the Stelvio slope before Monday's slalom.
A triumph would place him alongside Norwegian greats such as Kjetil Andre Aamodt -- the most decorated Alpine skier in Olympic history -- and fellow 'attacking Vikings' Lasse Kjus and Aksel Lund Svindal, part of a golden generation.
"(The attacking Viking) spirit, it's still super strong," McGrath said. "What's really cool is that all these guys like Kjetil, Lasse and Aksel they're all still a huge part of the family and I meet them regularly and we speak a lot.
"These guys are my heroes so it's really cool to have their phone numbers. Once you've been an attacking Viking, you'll always be one."
In the spirit of those Nordic giants, McGrath said he will not leave anything out on the snow -- an attitude his late grandfather would have recognised.
"My slalom season started terribly with two DNFs in three races," he said. "Then I decided the rest of the season I'm going to ski with full risk and full attack every race."
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Christian Radnedge)
