Emotional Pinheiro Braathen makes Brazilian ski history by sealing GS Globe

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA/ Atomic) made Brazilian sporting history on Tuesday, as he won the country’s first Audi FIS Crystal Globe in Alpine skiing.

Pinheiro Braathen clinched the Giant Slalom title in Hafjell, Norway, after his nearest rival, Marco Odermatt (SUI/ Stöckli), DNFed on the first run of the day. 

He produced two great runs to triumph and see off a stern challenge from Loic Meillard (SUI/ Rossignol), who finished second.

It capped a superb season for the athlete who has represented his mother’s homeland since 2024, and who bagged Brazil’s first Alpine skiing gold at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

It was his second career Globe: he won the Slalom title in 2023 representing Norway. Pinheiro Braathen will try to replicate that Globe tomorrow in Hafjell, in the last Slalom race of the season.

“It’s overwhelming” says champion
A final day shoot out for a Globe is always something to relish, and the permutations kept changing as the day went on in Norway. 

Odermatt’s first-run elimination didn’t exclude him from retaining the GS title, but he needed results to go his way the second time around. They didn’t, however, as Atle Lie McGrath (NOR/ Head) and Meillard made it down safety.

Meillard, third after the first run, put everything on the line, with a clean and balanced performance that brought great speed into the lower section and took the green light.

Now the equation was simple. Pinheiro Braathen was last down after a clean, crisp first run had given him an advantage of +0.21 seconds. He only had to finish on the podium for the Globe to be his. Falter, and the prize would belong to Meillard.

It never looked in doubt. Showing the kind of steel that brought him Olympic gold, Pinheiro Braathen was calm, controlled and on tempo. His positioning stayed flawless and he finished +0.58 seconds ahead. McGrath was third, +0.87 adrift.

Pinheiro Braathen’s first emotion was relief. “It’s overwhelming, I came into these finals knowing I could leave with two Globes, I could leave with zero, and anything in between, and after day one, we at least got one of them,” he said.

What did it mean compared to his first ever Audi FIS Crystal Globe, back in 2023? “You’re asking very deep and profound questions right now, I would like to have a breather before we get this deep,” he said.  

“To be able to look at this Globe with the Brazilian flag on my chest is something I’m immensely proud of. I just want to keep on going and see how many more I can get, and I’d just like to thank everyone that has been with me through dark and bright times, because I could never do it without them.

“I just hope it can inspire some kids to really believe in who they are, no matter if they feel a bit different at times.”

The GS has “something special” about it, he admits. “I may have a slalom Globe already, but the Giant Slalom is the basis of Alpine Skiing. It’s the discipline that everyone in this sport has tried before they move on to something else.

“Especially because I have so much respect for Marco, the best skier in the world, unbeatable in this for so many years. So stable, so strong, it was an honour to be at the start today. To give him a fight for it.”

 He dedicated the triumph to “the family I never get to see because I’ve chosen this life. To my dad, who has been the one person who has been with me on this journey from start to finish, still here, still believing, no matter what path I want to take. I could never have done this if it wasn’t for having the most beautiful and accepting family.”

He also credited his team. “I sure do not stand alone on the podium. The sport is so resource demanding. So much logistics, at the end of the day I’ve been able to curate a team where no one works for each other, we work with each other. We look at each other with equal importance for the final product, which is how fast can I ski.”

The secret to his great end to the season? “Focusing on why I ski. I don’t ski for this, for the trophies. I ski because it allows me to feel who I am. It’s one minute and 20 seconds where I get to be me. No one can judge me, nothing matters, it’s just me doing what I love the most. At the Olympic and every race since, especially today.”

McGrath and Meillard reflect  
Meillard eventually finished second in race and third in GS standings. 

“One more podium in GS and a nice fight with Lucas as well,” he said. “I pushed as hard as possible. I knew it would be not easy with the tracks and everything, but I tried to keep on moving, accepting small mistakes, and it was a solid second run.

He was happy with his comeback this season. “After a few races, a few people put me down on the ground, but now we’re back on the podium for the third year in a row in GS, so that’s nice, and something we can keep on building up.”

McGrath was also pleased with a third place finish. 

“That was very special,” he said. “I’ve had the feeling since the Olympics that I’m skiing really well in the GS, as well as the slalom. Today I thought I was going to push the best guys.

“After my mistake in the first run I decided to go for it, and I’m so proud of how I fought. And it was cool how three of us four Norwegians on the second run came in to the green light. It’s just different to ski at home, and to get a podium at Hafjell is very special.

“This is classic Norway, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve skied these conditions. Lucas and I have skied here a lot. Snowing, raining, the sun out – classic Norwegian weather.”

No regrets for Odi: 'My plan was to take the risk'
Despite leading the GS standings going into the day’s racing, there was no way Odermatt was going to ski conservatively and prioritise the globe over another win: in the end he faltered by making a trademark bid to save vital hundredths of seconds. At the end of the day, he was second overall, with 495 points to Pinheiro Braathen’s 547. 

“A mistake, too straight in the line, a little bit of a risk, and then it was over,” he said.  “My plan was to take the risk, to try to attack, to try to fight for the victory, not just for some points for the globe and it didn’t work out.”

Despite missing out on the chance to become the first man to win four Audi FIS Crystal Globes three times in a row, the Swiss racer was able to put another remarkable season into perspective.

“Sure a little bit sad but not completely frustrated – I won enough,” he said. “That’s how ski racing works, sometimes you win sometimes you lose. I definitely won more often than I lost, so this is part of the game.” 

On losing a globe on the last day, he added:  “I already did that once in my life, so sure not the very best, but it definitely hurt more six years ago that [it does] today.”

As ever, he was willing to give credit where it was due. “Lucas became the best GS skier in the last couple of races, I think we can say that,” said Odermatt. “He was very consistent. The last couple of races he was faster than me.

“It was another amazing season, I think I won the overall with more than 500 points, maybe a little bit less tomorrow, but in the end I collected by far the most points, I won by far the most races, I won three Olympic medals, three globes, so I am super happy.”

Odermatt’s season is done; for McGrath and Pinheiro Braathen – former teammates, and very old friends – there is one more day to go, as they both eye the Audi FIS Slalom Globe.

“It is quite unbelievable isn’t it,” said Pinheiro Braathen of the battle to come. “As strange as it may sound, it almost brings a level of comfort.

“Because even though we are fighting for huge titles and history to be written, at the end of the day when it’s me and him at the start, we look at each other, give a fist bump and it’s just skiing. I’m looking forward to one last showdown tomorrow.”

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