His father Felix McGrath was also a ski racer and competed for the United States in the Alpine Ski World Cup from 1984 to 1990 , his mother Selma Lie was a cross-country skier . Atle Lie McGrath first took part in FIS races and national championships in December 2016 as a 16-year-old . He performed particularly well in the technical disciplines of slalom and giant slalom. He achieved his first victories in FIS races in April 2018, when he won three races in a row. On November 29, 2018, he was therefore in action for the first time in the European Cup . McGrath was able to assert himself near the top in this racing series. Just three weeks later, on December 18, 2018, he finished second in the giant slalom in Paganella and achieved the first European Cup podium. Five days after finishing third in a European Cup slalom, he made his World Cup debut on January 12, 2019. He was eliminated in Adelboden in the first round of the giant slalom at Chuenisbärgli . At the 2019 Junior World Championships in Val di Fassa , he won the bronze medal in combination.
On December 23, 2019, McGrath won his first World Cup points by finishing 24th in the parallel giant slalom in Alta Badia . After a total of ten podium places, he achieved his first European Cup victory on February 14, 2020 in the combination of Sella Nevea . Another victory followed six days later in the giant slalom in Jasná . He won the overall ranking and the giant slalom ranking of the 2019/20 European Cup season .