Pinheiro Braathen claims Brazil’s first-ever World Cup ski gold

LEVI, Finland – Lucas Pinheiro Braaten boosted Brazil's hopes of its first Olympic medal in alpine skiing by giving the country its first win in top-level cross-country skiing.

Pinheiro Braaten won the first slalom of the World Cup season on Sunday, three months before men's slalom day on February 16 at the Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan.

He held the lead in the first run and beat 2022 Olympic champion Clement Noel of France by 0.31 seconds.

After finishing, Pinheiro Braaten got off his skis, fell to his knees and shouted “yes!”, raising both hands up.

“I think it reflects who I am,” Pinheiro Braaten said, a Brazilian flag draped over his shoulders. “I try to do it my way, try to ski with my heart, try to ski for myself and not for others.”

It was Pinheiro Braten's sixth career win, but his first since he began competing for Brazil last year after resigning from the Norwegian ski federation.

“It was a difficult road and it was a really lonely road. But I went my own way and I am so grateful to my family, my friends, my team for trusting and believing in me,” said Pinheiro Braaten, whose Norwegian father Bjorn competed in the race.

“I'm so proud, it's not just winning the World Cup, it's a personal triumph. I hope I can inspire others to follow their own path,” he added.

A technician who made his world championship debut in 2018, Pinheiro Braaten won five races before taking the seasonal slalom title in 2022-23.

One of skiing's most colorful personalities, known for painting his nails and having an eye for fashion, he then fell out with the Norwegian Ski Federation over his personal marketing rights, took a year off from the sport and returned last season, competing for Brazil, his mother's homeland.

Pinheiro Braaten, the country's first skier to compete at the Alpine World Cup since 2016, had finished on the podium five times in 22 races for Brazil before Sunday's victory.

“It's a win for me, it's a win for my friends, it's a win for my family, it's a win for Brazil and it's a win for the individual,” Pinheiro Braaten said. “At the end of the day, if kids are watching you, your defining characteristic is your superpower, so believe in it.”

In a September interview with The Associated Press, Pinheiro Braaten said his first win for Brazil “will come, and it will come soon.”

In the first heat, Pineiro Braaten finished 0.41 seconds ahead of Noel.

“I had a good feeling. I had a plan and a strategy and I followed it. I know that when I follow my plan, I have great potential,” he said.

Sharing the podium with Pineiro Braaten and Noel was Eduard Hallberg, who finished third, 0.57 back, Finland's first top-three finish at a World Championships since Kalle Palander won the giant slalom in Italy in December 2007.

The British ski team had two riders in the top seven.

Laurie Taylor led the race with the fastest time in the second run, but ended up fourth and missing four hundredths for what would have been his first podium finish. Entering his final season before retiring, teammate Dave Riding was 1.16 behind the leader in seventh place.

World Cup slalom winner Henrik Kristoffersen and world champion Loïc Maillard finished 13th and 14th respectively in the first slalom of the Olympic season.

Marco Odermatt won the season-opening giant slalom in Austria three weeks ago, but the four-time overall champion from Switzerland is not competing in the slalom.

Ski great Marcel Hirscher, who like Pinheiro Braaten changed federations before returning last year, missed Sunday's race and delayed his return until January due to injury.

After winning a record eight titles overall for Austria, Hirscher retired in 2019 but returned to the circuit in the Netherlands, his mother's homeland.

Hirscher's comeback season was cut short after three races when he injured his knee in slalom practice in early December.

On Saturday, Mikaela Shiffrin won the women's race in Lapland's traditional season-opening slalom weekend, where the prize for winners is a reindeer. The animals live on a neighboring farm.

The World Cup continues in Gurgl, Austria, with another men's slalom on Saturday, followed by the women's race the next day.