It’s not simply soccer anymore. Brazil is discovering World Cup success in snowboarding now, too.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen grew to become the primary Brazilian skier to complete on a World Cup podium when he positioned second in a giant slalom in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on Sunday.
Pinheiro Braathen celebrated the achievement in really Brazilian — and Pinheiro — model: with a samba dance on the podium, the Brazilian flag wrapped round his waist and cowboy boots on his toes.
“What a second to interrupt out a dance in entrance of all these superb followers right here immediately. I got here onto the circuit to make a distinction. I got here right here to be myself and hopefully be an inspiration to the outcasts on the market, to the those that really feel a bit completely different, to observe their very own path,” Pinheiro Braathen stated.
“It’s such a privilege to have the ability to be the primary one to convey the Brazilian flag — one thing that I’m so happy with — as much as a winter sport World Cup podium,” he added.
Pinheiro Braathen’s mom is Brazilian and his father is Norwegian. He had raced for Norway till abruptly retiring slightly greater than a 12 months in the past after getting right into a dispute with the Norwegian ski federation following modeling work for a rival model of the federation’s clothes provider.
In March, Pinheiro Braathen announced his comeback for Brazil, a federation that had not been represented on Alpine snowboarding’s World Cup circuit since 2016.
Brazil has by no means gained a medal on the Winter Olympics however now Pinheiro Braathen will doubtless be a contender at subsequent season’s Milan-Cortina Video games. So might Nicole Silveira, who completed third in a World Cup skeleton race in Pyeongchang, South Korea, final month for Brazil’s first podium end in a winter sport.
The one man who competed in Alpine snowboarding for Brazil on the 2022 Beijing Olympics was Michel Macedo, who didn’t end his second slalom run.
Pinheiro Braathen’s consequence bought little protection in Brazil on Sunday, which was additionally the day when the ultimate spherical of the nation’s soccer league was being performed. However snowboarding is hardly adopted in Brazil, the place there’s not a lot in the way in which of Alpine resorts. Argentina and Chile are higher often known as snowboarding locations in South America.
Pinheiro Braathen gained 5 World Cup races when he represented Norway: three slaloms and two big slaloms. He additionally gained the 2022-23 season-long slalom title — overcoming a midseason appendectomy.
One among snowboarding’s most vibrant personalities, recognized for portray his fingernails and a style for trend, Pinheiro Braathen typically cites Ronaldinho and Dennis Rodman as his idols. He famous what number of challenges he’s needed to overcome within the sport.
“It’s standing up towards all of the stress and all of the potential judgement that follows when going your individual path,” he stated, noting that snowboarding is “a fairly masculine” sport.
“Being somebody (who) likes to decorate a bit in another way and do me, I simply take delight in that and I hope that the historical past that I’m in a position to write immediately can signify the impact of following your individual path and the potential that lies in simply being who you’re with a view to be completely happy,” Pinheiro Braathen added.
Having put down the quickest second run after inserting fourth within the opening leg, Pinheiro Braathen completed a slim 0.12 seconds behind Swiss first-time winner Thomas Tumler to enhance upon two fourth-place finishes earlier this season. He celebrated with snowboarding’s model of a mic drop, letting each of his skis fall to the snow as he confronted a crowd that included a fan membership carrying the yellow jerseys of Brazil’s nationwide soccer group.
Up subsequent, Pinheiro Braathen will intention for Brazil’s first victory on snow in big slalom and slalom races in Val d’Isere, France, subsequent weekend — the place his mother, Alessandra, who’s from Sao Paulo, is predicted to be readily available to cheer him on.
AP Sports activities Author Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo contributed.
AP snowboarding: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
