Lucas Pinheiro Braathen said it was “absolutely impossible” to try and convey his emotions after his big win

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil on Feb. 14, 2026.Credit : Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP via Getty

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen brought home the gold medal for Brazil in giant slalom, the first-ever medal for his country at a Winter Olympics.

Pinheiro Braathen, 25, passed the finish line at Stelvio Ski Centre in two minutes and 25 seconds on Saturday, Feb. 14 in Bormio, coming in just 0.58 seconds before Swiss star Marco Odermatt, who was largely expected to win gold in the race.

Pinheiro Braathen previously represented Norway in Beijing in 2022, but switched allegiance to Brazil, his mother’s native country and the place where he fell in love with skiing as a kid.

After the historic victory, the athlete told reporters he’s “not even able to grasp reality as I stand here right now.”

“I am just trying to get some sort of emotion here and translate it into words, even though it’s absolutely impossible,” he said.

Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen on Feb. 14, 2026.Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP via Getty

Pinheiro Braathen, who failed to finish his races in Beijing, said he was “skiing completely according to my intuition, and my heart today, and that’s what enabled me to become an Olympic champ.”

“It had nothing to do with the medal, it had nothing to do with the history that I had the potential of writing,” he said. “I just wanted to ski as the person I am. I know I can be the best in the world, if I do that to the greatest extent.”

The gold medalist, who collapsed to the ground in an emotional moment after crossing the finish line, hopes his victory “can inspire some kids out there” to pursue their goals.

“Despite what they wear, despite how they look, despite where they come from, they can follow their own dreams and be who they really are,” he said. “Because that is the real source of happiness in life.”

Silver medalist Odermatt spoke about losing the gold to Pinheiro Braathen, telling reporters, “Somehow, we knew that Lucas could just beat himself in the second run, with this one-second advantage after his amazing first run but still we tried to attack.”

“We did, all three Swiss racers, we came in with a green light. We also hoped for a triple victory, for sure but Lucas handled it pretty well, and skied down,” said Odermatt. 28.