Brazil Wins First Winter Olympic Medal…And It Was Gold

Brazil claimed its first-ever medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Sunday after alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won gold in the men’s giant slalom.

Braathen finished with a time of 2 minutes, 25 seconds, beating Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, the world’s top skier, by more than half a second.

The giant slalom is a skiing race held on snowy mountains. Athletes race downhill at high speed, turning through gates set along the slope. Each skier makes two runs, and the fastest combined time wins.

Braathen led after the first run by nearly a full second. In the second run he made a small mistake that cut his lead in half, but he still finished ahead of Odermatt to secure victory.

The win is historic for Brazil, which had never reached the podium at the Winter Games. Braathen was born in Norway to a Norwegian father and Brazilian mother. He represented Norway until 2023 before switching to compete for Brazil. 

Three years later, that decision gave the South American nation its first winter gold.

Speaking to reporters after his win, Braathen said he was “beyond proud” to hear the Brazilian national anthem played in the Olympic stadium. ‘I’ve heard this anthem so many times as a fan of the Brazilian football team, which is where I grew my love for sports. Being the reason that I get to hear and share that song in a stadium in the middle of mountains because of a Winter Olympic gold medal for these colours, I’m beyond proud,’ he shared.