SKIING: Pinheiro Braathen aims to samba his way to slalom gold

When slalom specialist Lucas Pinheiro Braathen announced his return to the World Cup circuit in 2024, his message was simple: “The time has come, Brazil. Let’s Dance.”

In February, the Norway-born 25-year-old hopes to make good on that vow and perform his trademark samba celebration at the Milano-Cortina Olympics.

After switching his allegiance from Norway to Brazil—the country of his mother Alessandra’s birth, where he spent his early childhood—Pinheiro Braathen has made it his mission to put the soccer-mad nation on the winter sports map. So far, he’s done a remarkable job.

In November, he gave Brazil its first World Cup victory by triumphing in a thrilling slalom race in Levi, Finland, beating Olympic champion Clement Noel. After crossing the finish line, he sank to his knees in celebration before draping himself in green and yellow. He was rewarded with a reindeer for that win in Lapland, and should he repeat that performance on Bormio’s Stelvio course next month, the caipirinhas will flow at the Italian resort.

Pinheiro Braathen, who took up skiing at age eight after being introduced to it by his Norwegian father Bjorn, is far from a standard Alpine ski racer. While he possesses the icy focus typical of Norway’s top racers, he also brings a Latin exuberance both on and off the slopes, with stints as a DJ, fashion model, and designer of his own clothing line.

His shock decision to quit on the eve of the 2023 season—despite being the reigning World Cup slalom champion—following a dispute with the Norwegian federation over image rights, made headlines worldwide.

"I reached a point where I felt I had lost the reason why I began skiing," he later said. "I needed to break away from the sport, spend time with myself before choosing my next path."

Slalom Comeback

Thankfully for Alpine ski fans, the thrill of slalom racing drew him back for the 2024-25 season, this time representing Brazil with renewed purpose.

"The possibility of representing 200 million people is perhaps one of the most beautiful aspects of this project," Pinheiro Braathen said. His hobbies include surfing, one-wheel biking, and cliff diving.

While Brazil has little winter sports tradition or infrastructure, the country could soon be celebrating an unlikely Olympic gold medal if all goes according to plan. Pinheiro Braathen, who won five World Cup races while skiing for Norway, has enjoyed a consistent season and is currently second in the overall World Cup standings after finishing behind Marco Odermatt in a giant slalom in Adelboden last week.

There’s something samba-like about the way he attacks a slalom course—a style he credits to his heritage.

"If we’re talking about being sporty, the explosiveness of a Brazilian is something that pays off well in the technical disciplines," he said in an interview with Red Bull, one of his sponsors. "You can really see that in my skiing!"

Now based in Milan, Pinheiro Braathen has a high-class team around him, led by his father and including Michael Pircher, who once worked with Austrian great Marcel Hirscher.

"He’s the only one who, during all these years, has just stuck by my side and knows what this has truly cost me," he said of his father. "I wouldn’t be able to do this without him."

—Reporting by Martyn Herman/Reuters