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.
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
