Brazilian skier wins shock gold to make Winter Olympics history as first ever South American medallist
Skier shocks Winter Olympics with historic gold
- Lucas Pinheiro Braathen secured an Olympic giant slalom gold medal in Bormio, making history as the first ever medallist from South America at the Winter Olympics.
- The 25-year-old, born in Oslo to a Norwegian father and Brazilian mother, previously represented Norway before switching to compete for Brazil 18 months ago.
- Braathen expressed his disbelief at the victory, stating he skied "completely according to my intuition and my heart" and hopes to inspire children in Brazil.
- His win challenged the traditional dominance of Alpine skiing nations, with Swiss athletes Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen being edged out.
- Braathen, a former world junior silver medallist with five World Cup races to his name, aims to change the sport by being authentic and representing his Brazilian heritage.
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