Brazilian ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen swiped away the competitors with a strong closing run within the Olympic big slalom on Saturday, successful gold and incomes South America’s first-ever 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 approach by means of the technical Stelvio course. After seeing his place — No. 1 — he fell to the snow earlier than beginning to scream.
Alexis Boichard / Agence Zoom / Getty Photos
He completed in a two-run mixed time of two minutes, 25 seconds. He beat Swiss racer Marco Odermatt, the defending Olympic champion, by 0.58 seconds. Odermatt’s teammate, Loic Meillard, earned the bronze medal.
The Norwegian-born Pinheiro Braathen is the fun-loving, samba-dancing skier who’s able to get this social gathering began. On the again of his helmet, he has in massive letters “Vamos Dancar” — “Let’s Dance.” He represented Norway till October 2023, when he abruptly retired from the game.
In March 2024, he introduced he would return to the alpine snowboarding circuit, representing Brazil — his mom’s native nation and the place he spent a lot of his youth.
He is already achieved loads of “firsts” along with his new nation: First Brazilian Alpine racer to complete on a World Cup podium final 12 months and first-ever World Cup win for the nation this season. Now, the primary Brazilian gold medalist.
One other Brazilian athlete may earn one other medal on Saturday. Nicole Rocha Silveira, who was born on the southern tip of Brazil and moved to Canada round age 7, is ranked ninth on the planet in girls’s skeleton and is among the many favorites in that occasion.
Pinheiro Braathen and Silveira every carried the Brazilian flag at totally different websites throughout the Opening Ceremony final week.
