LEVI, Finland (AP) — Lucas Pinheiro Braathen took a commanding lead in the opening run of a men’s World Cup slalom Sunday, positioning himself for what would be Brazil’s first-ever win in a top-level ski race less than three months before the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Pinheiro Braathen had an all-attacking run on the Levi Black course to finish 0.41 seconds ahead of 2022 Olympic champion Clement Noel of France and 0.49 ahead of his former Norwegian teammate Timon Haugan.
The rest of the field, including slalom World Cup winner Henrik Kristoffersen and world champion Loic Meillard, had more than eight-tenths to make up on Pinheiro Braathen in the final leg later Sunday.
“I had a good feeling. I had a plan and a strategy, and I followed that. I know when I follow my plan, I have a lot of potential," Pinheiro Braathen said.
A tech specialist who debuted on the World Cup in 2018, Pinheiro Braathen won five races in total before clinching the season-long slalom title in 2022-23.
He then fell out with the Norwegian ski federation over his personal marketing rights, took a year-long break from the sport and returned last season competing for Brazil, his mother’s native country.
The first skier for the country on Alpine skiing’s World Cup circuit since 2016, Pinheiro Braathen racked up five podium results. Brazil has never won a World Cup race or a medal at the Olympics or world championships in Alpine skiing.
In an interview with The Associated Press in September, Pinheiro Braathen said his first win for Brazil “will come, and it’s coming soon.”
Skiing great Marcel Hirscher, who also switched federations before making a comeback last year, sat out Sunday's race and postponed his return from injury until January.
After winning a record eight overall titles for Austria, Hirscher retired in 2019 but returned to the circuit for the Netherlands, his mother’s native country.
Hirscher's comeback season was cut short after three races when he injured his knee in slalom training in early December.
AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Returning to the VIBE Center, the Foster City Senior Showcase is a great place to discover r… Read moreFoster City Senior Showcase
WHAT A holiday market showcasing Bay Area small businesses and featuring unique, handcrafted… Read more2025 Holiday Night Market by Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center at the Chan Zuckerberg Community Space
The San Mateo Union High School (SMUHSD) Sustainabilty Committee presents a community event:… Read moreWater if Life
Aragon High School Theatre proudly presents Footloose, the Musical! Footloose is an energeti… Read moreAragon High School Theatre presents "Footloose"!
Redwood City, CA - Redwood Symphony celebrates 40 adventurous years of redefining what a com… Read moreRedwood Symphony 40th Anniversary Concert with Mason Bates
Dirk van Ulden said:
Thomas Morgan said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.