Brazilian skier makes history with country’s first World Cup win: ‘Difference is a superpower’ | Skiing

Lucas Pinheiro Braaten made skiing history by scoring Brazil's first-ever World Cup victory in a thrilling season-opening race in Levi on Sunday.

Pinheiro Braaten, who switched from Norway to Brazil last year, held a commanding 0.41 second lead from the first run and powered through the gate again in the second run with cool ice to take a landmark victory.

French Olympic slalom champion Clément Noel was second, 0.31 seconds back, and Finnish fans at a resort above the Arctic Circle celebrated loudly as Eduard Hallberg finished third.

Brazil is better known for football and samba – and has only man-made ski slopes – but after 25-year-old Pinheiro Braaten crossed the finish line, he dropped to his knees and roared in triumph, becoming one of the South American country's most unlikely sports stars.

“I try to ski with all my heart and in my own way, even if it requires a lot of sacrifice,” said Oslo native Pineiro Braaten. “Being yourself is a difficult road, but for me it is the right path, and today it brought me to the very top.”

Shortly after the Brazilian anthem was played at the finish line, Pinheiro Braaten was presented with the traditional prize for the winner of Levi – a deer.

Pinheiro Braaten, who said he reluctantly started skiing at the age of eight after being introduced to the sport by his father, is no stranger to the top of the World Cup podium.

He has won in Norway's colors five times, three times in slalom and twice in giant slalom, and in 2023 he became World Cup champion in slalom. But his victory on Sunday was extra special for the technician, who retired from the sport before the start of the 2023/24 season following a row with the Norwegian Ski Federation but returned a year later to race for Brazil, the homeland of his mother, who he says helped shape his colorful personality.

With his fashion statements and DJ appearances on the club scene, Pinheiro Braaten is bringing his own talent to the traditional world of ski racing and says he wants to help make the sport more culturally diverse.

“I hope that maybe my demonstration that I can put Brazil on the map in a sport like this will encourage people from countries that are underrepresented to dare to go for it,” he said shortly after switching to Brazil. “If I could convince just one child to go for it, it would make me the happiest person in the world.”

He kept his promise on Sunday and while most Brazilians' eyes will still be on next year's World Cup, interest in the Winter Olympics could soar on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.

Sunday's race was exciting and at one point it looked like surprise Briton Laurie Taylor might win after a brilliant, fast second run put him in first place. Hallberg then sparked wild celebrations by 0.04 seconds ahead of the Briton's career-best fourth place finish.

Noel increased the pressure in the penultimate race of the day to take the lead, but the script was already written for Pinheiro Braaten.

“If kids are watching you, your personality is your superpower, believe in it,” he said.