Braathen Secures Giant Slalom Globe for Brazil

In a dramatic finish to the men's World Cup alpine skiing season, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen clinched the giant slalom Crystal Globe on Tuesday in Hafjell, Norway, securing Brazil's first title in the discipline and marking a historic milestone for South American skiing. The 25-year-old, who grew up racing on the same slopes, won the final race with a combined time of 2 minutes, 20.65 seconds, finishing 0.58 seconds ahead of Switzerland's Loïc Meillard, while Norway's Atle Lie McGrath took third, 0.87 seconds back.

The victory hinged on an early setback for Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, the standings leader entering the day with a 48-point advantage over Braathen. Odermatt, who had already wrapped up the overall World Cup title along with the downhill and super-G globes, started aggressively but lost control after a recovery from an initial error in the first run. He failed to finish, recording a did-not-finish and earning zero points, which handed Braathen the opportunity to seize the lead. Braathen posted the fastest first-run time, building a 0.63-second edge over Meillard, and maintained composure in the second run on the softer spring snow to claim both the race and the...