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03/24 10:23 CDT Brazilian skier Pinheiro Braathen wins World Cup giant slalom
to take season title
Brazilian skier Pinheiro Braathen wins World Cup giant slalom to take season
title
HAFJELL, Norway (AP) --- Olympic champion Lucas Pinheiro Braathen added the
World Cup giant slalom season title on Tuesday in a stunning and historic
campaign for the Brazilian skier.
Racing on the slope where he grew up, the Norway-born star protected his
first-run lead to finish 0.58 seconds ahead of Loc Meillard, who would have
taken the season-long title had Pinheiro Braathen failed to finish.
Pinheiro Braathen won a crystal trophy for the season-long slalom title in 2023
when skiing for Norway, then split months later with the national ski
federation in a dispute over sponsorship.
That pushed him toward competing for his mother's home nation after sitting out
an entire season, and to win the first championship medal and World Cup trophy
for Brazil.
"To be able to look at this crystal globe with the Brazilian flag on my chest
is something I am immensely proud of," he said.
At the start of racing on Tuesday, Swiss superstar Marco Odermatt led the giant
slalom standings but he failed to complete his first run.
The 25-year-old Pinheiro Braathen skied with calm assurance to claim the title
that never looked at risk.
On seeing his winning time, he saluted fans by raising his right index finger
and slowly skied toward a bank of photographers and screamed with joy. He
turned to look into the finish-area television camera and yelled "Vamos!"
"I just hope it can inspire some kids out there to really believe in who they
are no matter if they feel a bit different at times," Pinheiro Braathen said in
his first post-race interview.
In third place was Pinheiro Braathen's childhood friend Atle Lie McGrath,
trailing by 0.87.
Slalom showdown next The men's World Cup season ends on Wednesday with the slalom title at stake. The Vermont-born McGrath leads the standings with Pinheiro Braathen his closest challenger. Odermatt already secured the World Cup season titles in downhill, super-G and overall but could not retain his giant slalom title. The Swiss star has seemed fatigued in recent weeks and does not relish the softer spring-like snow typical of World Cup courses in March. The temperature was 7 degrees (44 F) when the second run started at 12:30 p.m. local time.
World Cup champion's farewell It was the final World Cup race in the career of Alexis Pinturault, the 2021 overall champion. The 35-year-old France star, racing in his mother's home country Norway, placed 11th on Tuesday, trailing by 2.46. His teammates sprayed him with Champagne in the finish area. A storied career saw Pinturault win the season-long grand slalom title in his championship year, and got 18 of his 34 career World Cup wins in the discipline. He also won two career bronze medals at each of the Olympics and world championships in giant slalom where he often went head-to-head with ski greats Marcel Hirscher and Ted Ligety. ___ AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
Slalom showdown next The men's World Cup season ends on Wednesday with the slalom title at stake. The Vermont-born McGrath leads the standings with Pinheiro Braathen his closest challenger. Odermatt already secured the World Cup season titles in downhill, super-G and overall but could not retain his giant slalom title. The Swiss star has seemed fatigued in recent weeks and does not relish the softer spring-like snow typical of World Cup courses in March. The temperature was 7 degrees (44 F) when the second run started at 12:30 p.m. local time.
World Cup champion's farewell It was the final World Cup race in the career of Alexis Pinturault, the 2021 overall champion. The 35-year-old France star, racing in his mother's home country Norway, placed 11th on Tuesday, trailing by 2.46. His teammates sprayed him with Champagne in the finish area. A storied career saw Pinturault win the season-long grand slalom title in his championship year, and got 18 of his 34 career World Cup wins in the discipline. He also won two career bronze medals at each of the Olympics and world championships in giant slalom where he often went head-to-head with ski greats Marcel Hirscher and Ted Ligety. ___ AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
