Lucas Pinheiro Braathen makes Winter Olympic history for Brazil

Gold in the giant slalom was Brazil’s – and indeed South America’s – first medal at the Winter Games.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won Brazil’s first ever Winter Olympic medal (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) (AP)

Google issued an excessive heat warning for Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, just hours before Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen skied through a Bormio blizzard and straight into the pages of Winter Olympic history.

The 25-year-old repelled the mighty Swiss favourite Marco Odermatt to win men’s giant slalom gold, earning his country’s first ever Winter Olympic medal in the process and also the first for any South American nation.

He celebrated by dancing a samba at the bottom of the fearsome Stelvio course whilst green, blue and yellow Brazilian flags fluttered in the stands. The result means Brazil, whose annual average temperature hovers just under 30 degrees Celsius, beats Iceland onto the all-time Winter Olympic medals table.

“I’m not even sure if I can grasp the reality as I stand here,” said Pinheiro Braathen afterwards. “It’s hard to translate my emotions into words, totally impossible.

“I hope I can inspire some kids in Brazil, that despite what they wear, despite how they look, despite where they come from, they can follow a dream and just be who they are. That’s the real source of happiness in life.”

Pinheiro Braathen, who was born in Oslo to a Brazilian mother and a Norwegian father, represented the country of his birth until 2023 when issues with Norway’s ski federation prompted him initially to retire, then to switch allegiance.

At the time of his decision, Pinheiro Braathen was ranked the number one slalom skier in the world. The following year, he became the first Brazilian to make an alpine top three in a World Cup giant slalom race in Beaver Creek, Colorado in 2024.

Despite snow being restricted to occasional dustings in its southern region, Brazil has competed at every Winter Olympics since its debut at Albertville in 1992.

Its 14-strong squad for the Milan and Cortina Games also included a skeleton racer, Nicole Silveira, who has achieved three World Cup podiums. Brazil has entered a four-man bobsleigh team at all but one Winter Games since 2002.

The scope for winter sports medals has changed since the days of hapless warm-weather no-hopers, like the Jamaican bobsleigh team who overturned on their debut in 1988 or the Kenyan cross-country skier Philip Boit, who finished his race so late in 1998 the podium ceremony had to be delayed.

Pinheiro Braathen is a big name in Brazil. He is in a high-profile relationship with the model and soap opera star Isadora Cruz and the race was beamed live in Brazil by the Globo network, which holds its Winter Olympic rights.

In his Brazilian jacket, Pinheiro Braathen was flanked by two Swiss rivals on the podium. For silver medallist Odermatt, the result spelled more disappointment.

With 53 World Cup victories to his name, including four consecutive overall giant slalom titles, the discipline had marked his best chance to make up for a relatively disappointing Games so far.

Odermatt trailed Pinheiro Braathen by almost a second after the first run and despite piling on the pressure in the second, the leader held his nerve to hold on by 0.58 seconds, dropping to the ground in relief at the end.

“There is nothing about this I can quite believe,” added Pinheiro Braathen. “I was skiing completely according to my intuition and my heart, and that’s what enabled me to become Olympic champion.”