Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen wins South America

Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen swept the competition with a powerful final run in the Olympic giant slalom on Saturday, winning gold and earning South America’s first medal in a winter games.

As the snow fell and the fog settled, 25-year-old Pinheiro Braathen stayed cool and relaxed as he rode the technical Stelvio circuit. After seeing his spot, number 1, he fell into the snow before starting to scream.

He finished in a combined two-race time of 2 minutes, 25 seconds. He beat Swiss runner Marco Odermatt, the defending Olympic champion, by 0.58 seconds. Odermatt’s teammate Loic Meillard took the bronze medal.

Norwegian-born Pinheiro Braathen is a fun-loving, samba-dancing skier who’s ready to get this party started. On the back of his helmet, it has “Vamos Dancar” – “Let’s Dance” in large letters. He represented Norway until October 2023, when he abruptly retired from the sport.

In March 2024 he announced that he would return to the alpine ski circuit, representing Brazil, his mother’s native country and where he spent much of his youth.

He has already achieved many “firsts” with his new country: the first Brazilian alpine runner to finish on a World Cup podium last year and the first World Cup victory for the country this season. Now the first Brazilian gold medalist.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrated his country’s first medal at a Winter Olympics on his social media channels.

“This unprecedented result shows that Brazilian sport has no limits. It is a reflection of talent, dedication and continuous work to strengthen sport in all dimensions,” said Lula. “Congratulations to Lucas Pinheiro and the entire team involved in this historic achievement, which inspires new generations and expands the horizon of Brazilian sport.”