Sport

Pinheiro Braathen wins season opener in Sölden

Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen claimed victory in the Sölden giant slalom, setting the tone for the new Alpine skiing season.

25 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Pinheiro Braathen wins season opener in Sölden — Archive photoPhoto: Manfred Werner (Tsui) · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen secured the opening victory in the giant slalom in Sölden. After two strong runs, the 26-year-old finished in a time of 1:44.72 minutes, underscoring his ambitions for the overall World Cup title. It was his ninth World Cup victory of his career.

Pinheiro Braathen, who competes for Brazil, is building on his successes from the previous season: he had already won the final two races of the 2023/24 winter and secured the crystal globe in the giant slalom. He is also an Olympic champion.

The Swiss skiers Loïc Meillard and Marco Odermatt took second and third place. Meillard trailed by 0.48 seconds, Odermatt by 0.49 seconds. Three athletes thus dominated the podium clearly.

From an Austrian perspective, the season opener proved mixed. Best Austrian was Raphael Haaser, who improved from twentieth place after the first run with the fastest time in the second run to finish fifth. Stefan Brennsteiner slipped from third place and fell out of the top ten, while Marco Schwarz was eliminated in the first run.

The victory was marked by emotional moments off the slopes. Pinheiro Braathen celebrated his success with his girlfriend Isadora Cruz. According to media reports, it was the first time Cruz had been present at one of her partner's ski races—emotions ran high.

The giant slalom in Sölden marked the opening of the 2024/25 Alpine skiing season for both men and women.

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