“It had nothing to do with the medal, it had nothing to do with the history that I had the potential of writing,” Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the first-ever Winter Olympics South American gold medalist in the men’s giant slalom in history, said at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, February 14. 

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is a 25 year old Brasilian Norwegian alpine ski racer who specializes in slalom and giant slalom. Slalom is a type of alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline involving skiing between poles or gates, while giant slalom is also a type of alpine skiing and snowboarding, which also involves racing between poles or gates, but they are spaced at a greater distance from each other than in a slalom. 

During Pinheiro’s early career, he had always represented Norway in his competitions. He raced for a Norwegian club at the Junior World Championship in 2019. Since then, he competed as a Norwegian representative until he announced his retirement from the World Cup racing on October 27, 2023. However, a year later, after he announced his retirement, he returned at the World Cup giant slalom, but this time he competed as a Brazilian representative instead of a Norwegian. He finished in 4th place, just three points behind his former ex-teammates from the Norway team. 

But if he was doing so well in the Norwegian team, why did he decide to change to the Brazilian team? Well, the Norwegian Ski Federation has full control of the marketing and personal image rights of their skiers, and Pinheiro did not like this system. According to an article from The Olympics, “The 2023 slalom Crystal Globe champion (Pinheiro) said that he had lost ‘his joy of living’ due to the system in Norway.” 

In a press conference on Thursday, March 7, in Slazburg, Austria, he also shared that representing Brazil in alpine skiing makes him “beyond proud” (Red Bull). In his own words, “Brazil has always had a major influence in shaping me to become the person and athlete that I am. Having the opportunity to represent 200 million Brazilians in World Cups, World Championships, and Olympic Games is a dream come true,” Pinheiro expressed. 

Nevertheless, in said press conference, he expressed his gratitude to his former team. He thanked his ex-teammates and coaches who were a part of his journey as an athlete, “I would not have been the man I am today if it were not for them,” Pinheiro said.

Pinheiro is an inspirational figure for those who are aware and proud of their heritage. He is an example of many to not make yourself feel less because you come from a different background. “Being born and raised within a multicultural and uncommon background in winter sports, I made it my biggest goal to transcend sports by expressing myself.”