Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Wins Giant Slalom Gold, South America’s First Winter Olympic Medal

Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen stands as South America’s first Winter Olympic medalist. [Photo=Yonhap·Reuters] — Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen became South America’s first Winter Olympic medalist. [Photo=Yonhap·Reuters]

Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen became South America’s first Winter Olympic medalist.

Braathen won gold in the men’s giant slalom at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on Feb. 14 (Korea time), posting a combined time of 2 minutes, 25.00 seconds over two runs at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, Italy.

It was the first Winter Olympic medal by an athlete from a South American nation since the Games began in 1924.

Born to a Brazilian mother and a Norwegian father, Braathen competed for Norway at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. He ended his career as a Norwegian national team skier ahead of the 2023 season and began representing Brazil in 2024.

Last year, he became the first South American athlete to reach the podium in an International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Alpine Ski World Cup. He followed that with South America’s first Olympic medal in winter sports.

South Korea’s Jeong Dong-hyeon (High1) finished 33rd with a combined time of 2:35.41.

Jeong, the oldest member of South Korea’s team at these Games, has now competed in five straight Olympics, starting with the 2010 Vancouver Games.

* This article has been translated by AI.

Kang Sang Heon ksh@ajunews.com