22 year old Lucas Braathen wins first globe

Henrik Kristoffersen, Lucas Braathen, Ramon Zenhaeusern: GEPA Photos

The average age of the six 2023 alpine skiing globe winners was 27.67. The average of the three women was 29.7, but the average of the three men was four years younger at 25.7. The youngest, however, is men’s slalom champion Lucas Braathen, age 22.

This slalom champion is one of three male Norwegian skiers born between 2000 and 2001 who have won World Cup slaloms. However, when Braathen is at his best, he is among the most efficient slalom skiers in the history of the sport. His ability to utilize the fall line to maintain speed is truly unique. Notably, he is able to create beneficial lateral energy from the top and middle of the turn that redirects his center of mass back into the course and rarely ever has to use speed-sapping pressure below the gate.

Unfortunately, toward the end of the season ski fans were unable to witness Braathen’s full talents. At the very beginning of February, he required an emergency appendectomy that caused him to miss World Cup and World Championship races. Although he quickly returned for the World Championship slalom his skiing while good was not his best. Therefore, it wasn’t until the last race of the season at the World Cup finals in Andorra that he would return to the podium and clinch the season’s slalom title.

Career World Cup victories

• During the 2022-23 season, the 22-year-old Braathen increased his career World Cup victory total to five.

Overall

• During the 2022-23 campaign, Braathen accumulated 954 World Cup points, the highest total of his five-year World Cup career.
  • Braathen ended the 2023 season ranked 4th in the overall standings
  • All of Braathen’s 2022-23 season points were accumulated in slalom, giant slalom and super-G
    • Braathen earned 2023 victories in both slalom and giant slalom

FIS-Longines Rising Ski Star

This is the award for the most World Cup points scored by a male athlete under 23 years of age. This season only ten males under 23 years old did so.

• Second consecutive season Braathen has won the category

Slalom

Braathen won the 2023 World Cup slalom title during the World Cup finals by earning a career-high 546 points in the discipline.

• It was his first World Cup season slalom title and his first globe of any type
  • He finished fourth in 2022 slalom standings
• Braathen earned six 20222-23 World Cup slalom podiums
  • He was on the World Cup podium in five of the seven slalom races he completed
• Two of his 2022-23 World Cup slalom podiums were victories
• During the 2022-23 season, he earned his 8th career World Cup slalom podium
  • 3 have been victories
• He won the globe despite missing the Chamonix World Cup slalom because of an emergency appendectomy.

Giant slalom

Braathen scored a career-best 372 World Cup GS points during the 2022-23 season

• Braathen won the December 18th Alta Badia World Cup giant slalom
  • Second giant slalom victory of his career
• He finished in the top ten in all eight giant slaloms he finished
• Although he missed the Schladming night GS because of his emergency appendectomy, he finished the season ranked seventh in the season giant slalom standings

Super-G

During the 2022-23 World Cup season, Braathen scored 36 super-G points in the only World Cup super-G of his career

• Braathen finished 7th in the Beaver Creek World Cup super-G on December 4th

2023 season Braathen highlight summary

• Braathen finished fifth in the men’s prize money standings with 264,800 (CHF) Swiss Francs or $288,000 USD.
• Braathen is the 2023 World Cup slalom champion
• He earned seven 2022-23 World Cup podiums
• Braathen achieved two 2022-23 World Cup slalom victories
• He also won one 2022-23 World Cup giant slalom