Lucas Pinheiro Braathen BRA / 2026 Olympic GS Champion / GEPA pictures
History was waiting at the bottom of the Stelvio.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen stood in the start gate with a 0.95-second first-run advantage over the best giant slalom skier in the world. Behind him, Switzerland had just locked in a provisional 1–2–3. Marco Odermatt had obliterated the field. The bar was set.
And then Brazil changed Winter Olympic history.
🥇🥈🥉 Olympic Men’s Giant Slalom — Final Results
- 🥇 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA, 2000) — 2:25.00
- 🥈 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI, 1997) — +0.58
- 🥉 🇨🇭 Loïc Meillard (SUI, 1996) — +1.17
- 🇨🇭 Thomas Tumler (SUI, 1989) — +1.45
- 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath (NOR, 2000) — +1.82
Brazil. Swiss. Swiss.
And the gold belongs to Brazil.
Click Images to enlarge
The Run That Made History
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen entered this Olympic final run as the first-run master. The high-swing opening course was one that only he truly solved.
But the second run? That was Swiss territory. Set by Helmut Krug. More direct. Less horizontal. Built for power and fall-line dominance.
Odermatt delivered exactly that. He smashed the lead by 0.59 seconds over Meillard and guaranteed himself at least silver.
The Swiss stood 1–2–3.
Then Lucas Pinheiro Braathen pushed out of the gate.
Where the Time Was Won — and Nearly Lost
He did lose time early.
- In the first sector of Run 2, he conceded ground to Odermatt.
- The upper pitch showed red splits.
- The margin shrank.
But his cushion was enormous.
Through the mid-section, he stabilized. In the final sector, he attacked with authority — crossing the line 0.58 ahead of Odermatt.
He did not match Odermatt’s second-run speed. He did not need to.
The damage had already been done in Run 1.
And the margin was real.
A Historic Gold for Brazil
If Lucas Pinheiro Braathen reached the podium, it would be Brazil’s first-ever Winter Olympic medal.
He didn’t just reach it.
He stood on top of it.
This is Brazil’s first Winter Olympic medal — and it is gold.
The first in history.
An Unconventional Journey
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen began his World Cup career skiing for Norway, the system where he was raised and developed. But he stepped away, searching for joy and authenticity in a sport that had begun to feel misaligned.
He chose to represent his mother’s homeland of Brazil.
This season, he arrived in Bormio red hot — second on the last three World Cup giant slalom podiums.
Now he is an Olympic champion.
His first Olympic medal.
And it is gold.
“Following my intuition, who I am… if I followed my heart to the greatest extent, I could finish on the top,” Pinheiro Braathen said. “And that’s why I am an Olympic champion today.”
“It’s been a rather unconventional journey. But it’s been mine”
More Than a Medal
The magnitude of the moment extended far beyond a finish time.
“Brazil’s not here to participate — we’re here to bring a difference,” he said.
And that difference, he believes, reaches further than the podium.
“I hope I can inspire some kids out there that, despite what they wear, how they look, or where they come from, they can follow their own dreams and be who they really are.”
On the biggest stage in the sport, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen delivered something Brazil had never seen before.
And he did it his way.
Switzerland’s Strength — But No Gold for Odermatt
Marco Odermatt remains the best giant slalom skier in the world.
29 career World Cup GS wins.
Three GS victories this season.
Reigning Olympic champion entering these Games.
He arrived in Bormio with a legitimate shot at four gold medals.
He leaves with three medals — silver in the Team Combined, bronze in the Super-G, and now silver in the Giant Slalom.
No gold.
That’s the Olympics.
Today, someone was better.
Odermatt: “That’s an Amazing Achievement”
Perspective never left him.
“I’m very happy with three medals and another fourth place,” Odermatt said. “That’s an amazing achievement.”
On a course set to reward direct power skiing, he attacked in the second run. His time was 0.59 faster than Loïc Meillard’s and guaranteed at least silver with one skier remaining.
“We knew Lucas could only beat himself with that lead,” Odermatt said. “But he calculated it really well.”
Even the best skier in the world cannot guarantee Olympic gold.
Meillard Adds Another Medal
Loïc Meillard leaves Bormio with two medals — silver in the Team Combined and bronze in the Giant Slalom.
“It’s one more medal in the GS,” Meillard said. “It was just that one guy was much better today.”
After sitting 1.57 back following the first run, the margin to Lucas Pinheiro Braathen proved decisive.
“We had a little bit too much of a gap with Lucas,” Meillard said. “He was just one step better this morning.”
Switzerland still celebrates a double podium:
🥈 Marco Odermatt
🥉 Loïc Meillard
Thomas Tumler narrowly misses bronze in fourth.
It is a powerful Swiss performance.
But the headline belongs elsewhere.
USA Results
There will be no USA medal in men’s giant slalom in Bormio.
🇺🇸 Team USA — Final Results
- 🇺🇸 River Radamus (USA, 1998) — 17th (+2.96)
- 🇺🇸 Ryder Sarchett (USA, 2003) — 25th (+5.11)
After finishing fourth in Beijing 2022, Radamus Olympic medal dream will have to wait.
Sarchett, 22 and in his first Olympics, briefly held the second-run lead early in the day — a memory that will stay with him long after these Games.
🇺🇸 Team USA Reaction
Radamus: “It’s a Blessing to Try”
River Radamus called the second run “a battlefield.”
With rain and heavy spray fogging goggles, visibility became guesswork. “You’re skiing by feel a little bit,” he said. “But the surface was good.”
Radamus knew what was at stake. After finishing fourth in Beijing, he has built his life around chasing an Olympic podium.
“I devote my entire life to standing on that podium there, knowing full well that the odds are against me ever doing that,” Radamus said. “It’s difficult. On a day like this, you dream big… but it’s a blessing to take part. I’m glad that I tried. I don’t have a lot of regrets.”
He felt he gave himself a chance.
“The mentality and the way I committed was good. The clock just didn’t agree.”
Sarchett: Confidence for the Future
For 22-year-old Ryder Sarchett, the experience was different — but equally formative.
Competing in his first Olympics, Sarchett rebounded from a disappointing first run with a strong second.
“I had some great turns on the second run,” he said. “To be able to do this at 22, I’m really stoked. It brings a lot of confidence into my next Olympics.”
Watching Lucas Pinheiro Braathen win gold for Brazil left an impression.
“Lucas grew up in the Norwegian system,” Sarchett said. “I think it’s really cool for him to represent Brazil. Hopefully he inspires young Brazilians to ski race.”
Sarchett leaves Bormio grounded but motivated.
“To be at the top level is the ultimate goal. It’s closer than I think — but it’s going to take a lot of work. I know I can do it.”
For Team USA, there were no medals in giant slalom.
But there was perspective.
A Championship Earned
This was not luck.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the race in the first run — where the swing and rhythm exposed everyone else.
He survived the Swiss assault in the second.
Brazil’s first Winter Olympic medalist.
Brazil’s first Winter Olympic champion.
On the Stelvio.
And it is golden.
Race Results
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Top Three and USA Athletes Analysis
About the Author: Peter Lange
