02/14/26 10:04:00
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02/14 10:02 CST Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen wins giant slalom, earns South
America's 1st medal at Winter Games
Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen wins giant slalom, earns South America's 1st
medal at Winter Games
By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer
BORMIO, Italy (AP) --- Brazilian ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen turned in a
powerful final run to win the Olympic giant slalom Saturday and earn South
America's first medal at a Winter Games.
With snow falling and fog settling in, the 25-year-old Pinheiro Braathen
remained cool and relaxed as he navigated his way through the technical Stelvio
course. After seeing his place --- No. 1 --- he fell to the snow before
starting to scream.
He finished in a two-run combined time of 2 minutes, 25 seconds. He beat Swiss
racer Marco Odermatt, the defending Olympic champion, by 0.58 seconds.
Odermatt's teammate, Loic Meillard, earned bronze.
Pinheiro Braathen is the fun-loving, samba-dancing skier who's ready to get
this party started. On the back of his helmet, he has in big letters "Vamos
Dancar" --- "Let's Dance."
Fittingly enough, it's Carnival season, too, a festival of parades, masquerades
and partying made famous in places such as Brazil.
There's plenty to celebrate because, "Brazil is an Olympic champion in Alpine
skiing," said Pinheiro Braathen, who opened up a massive 0.95-second advantage
after the opening run, thanks to being the first racer on the course. "I've
tried over and over again to put words into what it is that I'm feeling but
it's simply impossible."
Pinheiro Braathen comes from a family where his mother is Brazilian and his
father is Norwegian. He started racing for Norway until abruptly retiring
before the 2023 season, only to return a year later representing Brazil.
He's already accomplished plenty of "firsts" with his new country: First
Brazilian Alpine racer to finish on a World Cup podium last year and first ever
World Cup win for the country this season.
Now, first Brazilian gold medalist.
"The emotions that I'm feeling right now is an internal sun inside of me that
is that is shining so, so bright and toward so many people," he said. "It is
the very light that brought me the power to be the fastest in the world today
and to become an Olympic champion.
"I was skiing with my heart, and when you ski the way you are, anything is
possible. The only thing that matters to me is that I remain who I am. I am a
Brazilian skier who became an Olympic champion."
That's why he got so choked up hearing his nation's anthem on the podium.
"There's nothing about today where I am in a cognitive state whatsoever,"
Pinheiro Braathen said. "Having achieved this gold medal and hearing the
national anthem ring over the stadium, which I've experienced so many times as
a fan of the Brazilian football team --- it's where I grew my love for sports.
Being the reason that I get to hear and share that song in a stadium in the
middle of mountains, because of a Winter Olympic gold medal for these colors,
I'm beyond proud."
In Milan, his fans, decked out in green and yellow, crowded into "Casa Brasil."
They cheered for the entirety of his run, screaming and jumping to their feet
once he finished. The sound system blared "We Are The Champions" before playing
samba-infused songs for everyone to dance to.
He remains a popular figure, with one spectator wearing a "Lucas Fan Club"
T-shirt at the Brazil House, while another clutched a sign declaring "I'm a fan
of Lucas."
Brazil's President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva celebrated his country's first
ever Winter Olympics medal on his social media channels.
"This unprecedented result shows Brazilian sport has no limits. It is the
reflection of talent, dedication and continuous work to strengthen sport in
every dimension," Lula said. "Congratulations to Lucas Pinheiro and all the
team involved in this historic achievement, which inspires new generations and
widens the horizon for Brazilian sport."
It's another medal at the Milan Cortina Games for the 28-year-old Odermatt. He
added this to the silver in the team event, where he partnered with Meillard,
and bronze in the super-G.
"Three medals," Odermatt said, "is amazing."
Atle Lie McGrath of Norway wore a black armband in remembrance of his
grandfather, who died on the day of the opening ceremony. He finished fifth.
___
Associated Press Writers Stefanie Dazio in Milan and Mauricio Savarese in Sao
Paulo contributed to this report
___
AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing and AP Olympics:
https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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