Lucas Pinheiro Braathen took home Brazil’s first-ever medal at a Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, and as fate would have it, it was a gold one.
Braathen triumphed in the men’s giant slalom on Saturday to clinch his country’s first medal of any kind at the Winter Games. It marks the first Winter Olympic medal for any country in all of South America, too.
The Norwegian-born Braathen had an impressive first run to gain pole position ahead of the defending champion, Swiss superstar Marco Odermatt. He then put together a smooth-sailing gold-clinching second run, clocking in at the finish line with a combined time of 2:25:00, 0.58 seconds ahead of Odermatt. Odermatt settled for silver while Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard won bronze.
A HISTORIC MOMENT FOR BRAZIL. A HISTORIC MOMENT FOR SOUTH AMERICA. 🇧🇷
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 14, 2026
LUCAS PINHEIRO-BRAATHEN DELIVERS THE RUN OF HIS LIFE. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/m1hlRl9VxN
“I was skiing completely according to my intuition, and my heart today, and that's what enabled me to become an Olympic champ,” Braathen told reporters after the race. “It had nothing to do with the medal, it had nothing to do with the history that I had the potential of writing. I just wanted to ski as the person I am. I know I can be the best in the world, if I do that to the greatest extent.”
Braathen, 25, was born in Oslo, Norway but decided to switch his allegiances two years ago and compete for the country of his birth mother instead. In Saturday’s thrilling Olympic upset, Braathen beat Alpine skiing great Odermatt, who was tipped to take home three gold medals in Milan but ended up without a single gold.
Along with making history for Brazil, Braathen is also the first athlete from the southern hemisphere to clinch an Olympic medal in Alpine skiing since Australia’s Zali Steggall won bronze in women’s slalom in the 1998 Nagano Games.
“I hope I can inspire some kids out there that, despite what they wear, despite how they look, despite where they come from, they can follow their own dreams and be who they really are,” Braathen said of his historic win for Brazil. “Because that is the real source of happiness in life.”
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
- Through Day 8, Canada Surprisingly Still Without First Gold Medal at Winter Olympics
- Mics Caught Canada’s Rachel Homan Denying Cheating Amid Olympic Curling Controversy
- Team USA Goalie Jeremy Swayman’s Ugly Mistake vs. Denmark Might Not Have Been His Fault
- Wearing Two Hats: Jordan Stolz’s Second Gold Medal Win Was a Coronation
- Live Updates From Team USA Men’s Hockey vs. Denmark: U.S. Survives Early Scare, Improves to 2–0
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Wins First Winter Olympic Gold for Brazil in Giant Slalom.
