Brazil's Lucas Breaks Winter Olympics Gold Medal Record for South America

Lucas Pinheiro Braten, a Brazilian national ski athlete, successfully won a gold medal in the Alpine Giant Slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, becoming the first gold medalist from South America in the event's history. A half-Brazilian, half-Norwegian athlete, Lucas previously competed for Norway in the 2022 Winter Olympics but had sponsorship conflicts with the national federation. After taking a break from skiing and working as a fashion model for J. Lindeberg, he returned to sports and switched to representing Brazil, his mother's home country, ultimately securing the historic gold medal.