Photo by Reuters. Lucas Pinheiro Brotten from Brazil became the champion in giant slalom at the Winter Olympics.
His total time for two runs was 2 minutes 25.00 seconds. The second place was taken by Swiss Marco Odermatt, who lagged by 0.58 seconds, while the bronze medal went to his compatriot Loic Meillard, who finished with a time 1.17 seconds behind.
Lucas Pinheiro Brotten became the first athlete from South America to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.
The athlete was born in Norway to a Norwegian father and a Brazilian mother and represented Norway until 2023. During that time, he achieved five victories and became the World Cup champion in slalom. After a conflict with the Norwegian federation over marketing issues, he announced his retirement, but returned in 2024, representing Brazil. In November 2025, he brought Brazil its first gold at a World Cup stage.
Additionally, Kazakh figure skater Mikhail Shaidurov sensationally won gold in the men's singles event at the 2026 Olympics, becoming the first gold medalist for Kazakhstan in figure skating.
