It’s not just soccer anymore. Brazil is finding World Cup success in skiing now, too.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen became the first Brazilian skier to finish on a World Cup podium when he placed second in a giant slalom in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on Sunday.
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Pinheiro Braathen celebrated the achievement in truly Brazilian — and Pinheiro — style: with a samba dance on the podium, the Brazilian flag wrapped around his waist and cowboy boots on his feet.
“What a moment to break out a dance in front of all these amazing fans here today. I came onto the circuit to make a difference. I came here to be myself and hopefully be an inspiration to the outcasts out there, to the people that feel a bit different, to follow their own path,” Pinheiro Braathen said.
“It’s such a privilege to be able to be the first one to bring the Brazilian flag — something that I’m so proud of — up to a winter sport World Cup podium,” he added.
Pinheiro Braathen’s mother is Brazilian and his father is Norwegian. He had raced for Norway until abruptly retiring a little more than a year ago after getting into a dispute with the Norwegian ski federation following modeling work for a rival brand of the federation’s clothing supplier.
In March, Pinheiro Braathen announced his comeback for Brazil, a federation that had not been represented on Alpine skiing’s World Cup circuit since 2016.
Brazil has never won a medal at the Winter Olympics but now Pinheiro Braathen will likely be a contender at next season’s Milan-Cortina Games. So could Nicole Silveira, who finished third in a World Cup skeleton race in Pyeongchang, South Korea, last month for Brazil’s first podium result in a winter sport.
The only man who competed in Alpine skiing for Brazil at the 2022 Beijing Olympics was Michel Macedo, who didn’t finish his second slalom run.
Pinheiro Braathen's result got little coverage in Brazil on Sunday, which was also the day when the final round of the nation's soccer league was being played. But skiing is hardly followed in Brazil, where there is not much in the way of Alpine resorts. Argentina and Chile are better known as skiing destinations in South America.
Pinheiro Braathen won five World Cup races when he represented Norway: three slaloms and two giant slaloms. He also won the 2022-23 season-long slalom title — overcoming a midseason appendectomy.
One of skiing’s most vibrant personalities, known for painting his fingernails and a taste for fashion, Pinheiro Braathen often cites Ronaldinho and Dennis Rodman as his idols. He noted how many challenges he’s had to overcome in the sport.
“It’s standing up against all the pressure and all the potential judgement that follows when going your own path,” he said, noting that skiing is “a quite masculine” sport.
“Being someone (who) likes to dress a bit differently and do me, I just take pride in that and I hope that the history that I’m able to write today can represent the effect of following your own path and the potential that lies in just being who you are in order to be happy,” Pinheiro Braathen added.
Having put down the fastest second run after placing fourth in the opening leg, Pinheiro Braathen finished a slim 0.12 seconds behind Swiss first-time winner Thomas Tumler to improve upon two fourth-place finishes earlier this season. He celebrated with skiing’s version of a mic drop, letting both of his skis fall to the snow as he faced a crowd that included a fan club wearing the yellow jerseys of Brazil’s national soccer team.
Up next, Pinheiro Braathen will aim for Brazil’s first victory on snow in giant slalom and slalom races in Val d’Isere, France, next weekend — where his mom, Alessandra, who is from Sao Paulo, is expected to be on hand to cheer him on.
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AP Sports Writer Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo contributed.
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing