by sportswriters He Leijing and Wang Qinou
LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazil does not have snow. But on a foggy alpine slope in northern Italy, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen gave the South American nation a moment to celebrate.
The 25-year-old stunned the skiing world by winning gold in the men's giant slalom at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, delivering South America's first-ever Winter Olympic medal.
In a country synonymous with football, samba and sun-soaked beaches, the result felt almost surreal.
MAKING HISTORY
"It's a moment that's hard to grasp, even though it's crystal clear that you are officially the Olympic champion," Braathen said afterward, still absorbing what had just unfolded.
"It's something you've envisaged and dreamt for so long. Even with all that belief, it's still incredible to live that dream turned reality," he reflected emotionally.
When his winning time flashed atop the leaderboard, Braathen froze, staring at the No. 1 beside his name. Then came disbelief, a collapse into the snow, and finally joy. With no music playing, the young ski racer broke into samba steps, celebrating instinctively, the way he always has.
Snow fell steadily and fog rolled in during the medal round on the demanding Stelvio course. Braathen, unflustered, skied with a looseness that contrasted with the tension around him, carving cleanly through the gates. When it was over, he screamed into the cold air.
"Today was very much joga bonito," said the skier, borrowing the phrase Brazilians use to describe football played with flair and freedom.
Throughout the interviews, Braathen kept touching his gold medal, as if to confirm it was real. Once a boy who dreamed of becoming a professional footballer, he said he never set out to transform Brazilian skiing, a sport that barely exists back home.
His aim, he insisted, was simpler.
"I hope I can inspire some kids out there that, despite how they look or where they come from, they can follow their own dreams and be who they really are," he said. "That is the real source of happiness in life."
The victory came on the first full day of Carnival, Brazil's iconic pre-Lenten celebrations. Streets filled with dancers and revelers, but Braathen's triumph was powerful enough to push Carnival coverage aside on major news websites. Known affectionately in Brazil as "O cara do ski" - the skiing dude - he delivered a moment of pride few had imagined possible.
Yet when asked about the history he had written, Braathen waved it away.
"I was skiing completely according to my intuition and my heart," he said. "It had nothing to do with the medal or the history I had the potential of writing."
BECOMING AN INSPIRATION
A balance between freedom and precision has defined Braathen long before he carved his way into Olympic history.
Born to a Brazilian mother and a Norwegian father, Braathen grew up between two different worlds. After his parents divorced when he was about three, he spent his early childhood living with his mother, absorbing the rhythms and openness of Brazilian culture.
He later moved to Norway, where his father, deeply rooted in the country's ski tradition, guided his development on snow. The result was a rare blend: Brazilian energy and expressiveness paired with Norwegian discipline and technical rigor.
Braathen initially competed for Norway, where he quickly established himself as one of the sport's most exciting talents. Specializing in slalom and giant slalom, he collected multiple World Cup victories and podium finishes, including a slalom title in the 2022-23 season.
Then came an abrupt pause. In 2023, amid public disagreements with the Norwegian Ski Federation, Braathen announced his retirement, stepping away from competition at the peak of his career. The decision stunned the skiing world and raised questions about whether one of the sport's most distinctive personalities would return.
He did, but on his own terms. In 2024, Braathen launched a comeback representing Brazil, his mother's homeland, a move rooted as much in identity as opportunity. The switch took him to a nation with little alpine tradition but broad enthusiasm, and it allowed him to compete with a renewed sense of purpose.
That identity, adventurous, expressive and unafraid to defy convention, has become his signature. It was visible in his skiing, in his celebrations, and in the historic gold medal that followed.
Braathen had already carried Brazil's flag during the Games' opening ceremony, a symbolic moment for an athlete competing in a sport unfamiliar to most of his compatriots. Still, he said support poured in from across the country.
"I cannot tell you how many messages I've had saying, 'I have no idea what's going on, but let's go Brazil, let's go Lucas,'" he said. "That unconditional love - even while we're still introducing ski racing to Brazil - is what I brought with me today."
After making his Olympic debut at Beijing 2022, Braathen has now put South American skiing firmly on the global map. Hearing Brazil's national anthem during the medal ceremony, he said, was the emotional peak of his day.
"I didn't grow up as a skier. I grew up as a football player," he said. "I've tried to put words to what I'm feeling, and it's simply impossible."
Those emotions, he explained, were forged through risk and an unconventional path. "If it hadn't been for the drastic choices I made, I would never be sitting here today with it," he said, pointing to the gold medal around his neck.
Superstar status now awaits him back home, in a nation better known for rainforests and beaches than alpine slopes.
At the opening ceremony, Braathen also wore a down jacket lined with Brazilian flag imagery. It was not just a fashion statement, he said, but an expression of pride in representing the nation.
In the end, the medal mattered less to him than the message.
"What I'm feeling is an internal sun shining very bright," Braathen said. "I hope that light can shine on others, inspire them to follow their own heart and trust who they are."
His purpose, he insisted, goes beyond results or statistics.
"We were ski racing today, but this message goes far beyond that. If there's one thing I hope people take from this, it's that you dare to be who you are," he added. ■
