BORMIO, Italy, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen made history on Saturday by delivering to Brazil - and the whole of South America - their first Olympic gold with victory in the giant slalom but the 25-year-old's influence extendswell beyond the slopes.
Born in Norway and competing for the Scandinavian nation before switching to his mother's Brazil, Pinheiro Braathen has emerged as a central figure at the Milano Cortina Games thanks to his ability to fuse elite performance with personal style.
At the opening ceremony in Milan, he stole the spotlight by wearing a sweeping white Moncler cape featuring an intarsia Brazilian flag. Pinheiro Braathen won in Bormio wearing a white Moncler race suit with blue stars, which he helped co-create.
Since late 2024 the Brazilian has been a global brand ambassador for Moncler Grenoble, a collection rooted in the brand's original alpine tradition.
MERGING SKIING WITH LOVE OF ARTS AND FASHION
The skier's embrace of fashion, music and art cuts a contrast in a sport better known for discipline and uniformity than expression. But Pinheiro Braathen says his multiple interests have helped him on his journey to Olympic glory.
"I’m a person who believes in range, and I think the true difference needs to be found outside the area in which you’re trying to become the best," he said after winning gold.
"I have so many role models and sources of inspiration to thank for me being the (person) that I am here today, and to bring home this gold medal," he added.
Pinheiro Braathen, who likes to samba dance after success on the slopes and has been spotted wearing colourful nail varnish, won the World Cup slalom title in 2023 but quit later that year after a conflict with the Norwegian Ski Federation.
He announced his comeback in March 2024, this time representing Brazil.
PINHEIRO BRAATHEN LONGED TO EXPRESS HIMSELF
The decision to switch allegiance was partly due to his inability to express himself to the full while racing under the Norwegian flag.
In the documentary "Lucas Pinheiro Braathen: On My Terms", he says skiing was at that time making him miserable, adding that he always felt"something was missing" on the podium, says an article on sponsor Red Bull's website previewing the film.
After quitting skiing, the Brazilian dipped into modelling. He made his runway debut at the Copenhagen Fashion Week, wearing bright pink ski pants under a tailored overcoat for label J.Lindeberg. Last year he launched his own skincare brand, Octo.
For Pinheiro Braathen, exploring his broader interests is as important as skiing.
"I've probably spent more hours of my life studying individuals or projects that are outside of my own sport in order to become better at my own," he told Reuters before heading to Bormio.
"I very much believe in learning from people that come from completely different fields of expertise and areas than myself, because I think I'm able to learn something there that skiing itself maybe couldn't have," he added.
"And that's hopefully the upper edge that I get to bring to my competitions."
(Reporting by Lisa Jucca in Bormio; Additional reporting by Elisa Anzolin in Milan; Editing by Ken Ferris)
