Brazil's Braathen Wins Giant Slalom Gold, First for South America

Bormio, Italy -- Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil claimed the gold medal in the men's giant slalom at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday, securing the first Winter Games medal for any South American nation in history.

The 25-year-old skier, born in Norway to a Norwegian father and Brazilian mother, finished with the fastest combined time over two runs on the challenging Stelvio course. Pinheiro Braathen posted the top mark of 1 minute, 13.92 seconds in the opening run, building a 0.95-second lead over Switzerland's Marco Odermatt. Starting last in the reverse-order second run as the leader, he recorded the slowest time among the top five finishers but preserved enough margin to hold off challengers. Odermatt took silver, marking his third medal of the Games but no gold, while teammate Loic Meillard earned bronze for his second medal in the event.

Pinheiro Braathen's victory capped a remarkable journey. He grew up splitting time between Norway and Brazil after his parents divorced when he was three, crediting the two countries for shaping his identity. "Norway taught me how to be an athlete, how to brave the cold," he said after switching nationalities. "Brazil taught...