Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Wins Giant Slalom, Delivers Latin America’s First Winter Olympic Gold
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, born in Norway but competing under the Brazilian flag, captured the men’s giant slalom gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 13, 2026 ET. His victory not only denied a Swiss favorite but also marked the first Winter Olympic gold medal in history for Brazil and for Latin America.
Decisive first run and a historic finish
Braathen produced an outstanding first run that set the tone for the event. He completed two runs to post a winning combined time of 2: 25. 00, leaving the next-best skier, Marco Odermatt of Switzerland, 0. 95 seconds behind. That margin—large by giant slalom standards—proved insurmountable despite a strong final descent from the silver medalist.
After crossing the finish, Braathen embraced the significance of the moment. He described it as difficult to fully grasp, but unmistakable in its reality: he was now an Olympic champion. Wearing the Brazilian flag on the podium and hearing Brazil’s anthem echoed through the alpine valleys, he said he felt immense pride and affirmed that the support of his mother’s country had been unconditional.
Background and why the switch mattered
Born and raised in Norway, Braathen made a high-profile change of nationality that became a pivotal chapter in his career. Tensions with his former national federation led him to step away from the World Cup circuit for the 2023–24 season. He returned to international competition in October 2024 as a Brazilian athlete, leveraging his dual heritage—his mother is Brazilian—to race for a nation with virtually no winter-sports history at the Olympic gold-medal level.
Braathen framed the decision to change allegiances as a necessary and brave move. He expressed hope that his achievement would inspire people in Brazil and across Latin America to pursue their potential, urging others to be courageous about becoming who they can be.
Podium finishers and final notes
Marco Odermatt took silver and added consistency to an already strong Olympic program; he also left with a Super-G bronze and came close to medaling in the downhill. Odermatt acknowledged the difficulty of erasing a first-run deficit of nearly a full second, but said he was pleased to finish his Olympic campaign with multiple medals.
The bronze went to Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard, who, alongside Odermatt, helped secure a team silver for their nation in a team event that made its Olympic debut at these Games. In that team competition, Odermatt handled the downhill leg while Meillard focused on the technical turns, a pairing that carried Switzerland onto the podium twice during the session.
Beyond the hardware, Braathen’s gold carries symbolic weight: it expands the geographic reach of winter-sports success and underscores how individual athlete decisions can reshape Olympic narratives. For Brazil and Latin America, the result rewrites the region’s Winter Games history and provides a new milestone for athletes from nontraditional winter-sport nations to aspire toward.
