Lucas Pinheiro describes golden feeling, hopes to inspire in Brazil | OneFootball

Historic day for Brazilian sports: Lucas Pinheiro Braathen not only gave Brazil its first-ever medal in the history of the Winter Olympic Games this Saturday (14), but also won gold in the giant slalom event of alpine skiing.

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On the legendary Stelvio slope in Bormio, the 25-year-old athlete, born in Oslo and representing his mother’s country since 2024, dominated the event from start to finish, leading a podium completed by the Swiss Marco Odermatt (58 hundredths of a second behind), who took silver, and Loïc Meillard (1.17 seconds behind), who took bronze.

This was also the first medal ever won by a Latin American athlete in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.

“Indescribable. It’s totally unbelievable and I don’t know how to put it into words. I just wanted to share that probably, with everyone following me from Brazil and cheering for me, this can be a source of inspiration for kids of the next generation that nothing is impossible,” he said, very emotional, in an interview with TV Globo right after his victory.

Pinheiro Braathen had already become the first Brazilian to win a stage of the Alpine Ski World Cup in November, in Levi, Finland.

In Bormio, the skiing showman, passionate about fashion and music, who stands out in the rather conservative world of skiing, went even further, writing the most beautiful chapter of a turbulent career.

In 2023, he surprised everyone by announcing, in tears, his departure after a conflict with the Norwegian federation over image rights.

He returned a few months later, but representing Brazil, his mother’s country, where he spent part of his childhood after his parents’ divorce.

His triumph also represents a form of redemption after his disastrous first Olympics in Beijing, four years ago, where he was unable to finish the giant slalom or slalom events, the latter of which he will again be a favorite for on Monday, in Bormio.

This Saturday, he set himself on the path to victory already on the first run, wearing number 1 on a smooth ride down the Stelvio slope to open up a huge lead thanks to a perfect descent.

The Brazilian managed to keep his composure on the second run to maintain his lead over Odermatt, Olympic champion in Beijing in 2022.

“It was a war. I was pushing, always trying to find speed to go down at a really fast pace. The snow is completely different between runs. You have to adjust, and I managed to do that, to find a balance,” he celebrated.

The Swiss skier, who dominated alpine skiing over the last four years and was tipped to win all the medals in Bormio, leaves the Winter Games with three medals, but no gold.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.