(Reuters) - Alice Padilha has secured a place for Brazil in alpine skiing at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, marking the South American nation's return to the women's category after a 12-year absence.
Competing at Berkshire East in the United States, the 17-year-old from Rio de Janeiro put in a fitting performance in Sunday's slalom competition, scoring 83.07 points, well below the 120-point qualification threshold set by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Her combined time for the two races was 1:37.75, placing her 14th in the event.
The result allows Padilha to meet the limit set by the federation, an average of her best five results during the qualification period, and thus secure an Olympic berth.
Padilha's Olympic place is awarded to Brazil's National Olympic Committee (NOC), not the athlete personally, but the result marks Brazil's return to the women's alpine skiing competition for the first time since the Sochi Games in 2014.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Jamie Freed)
