Braathen began the season with a victory in Sölden and extended his giant slalom winning streak

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (Brazil) began the 2026/27 season with a victory, confirming that he has no intention of relinquishing his position after an impressive end to last season. On Sunday, he won the World Cup giant slalom in Sölden — the first race of the new season.

For the Brazilian, this is already his fourth consecutive giant slalom victory, including the Olympic gold he won in Milan-Cortina and his successful performances at the end of last season. This run ultimately brought him the “small crystal globe” in his specialist discipline.

Braathen posted the fastest time in the first run and managed to maintain his pace and composure in the second. On the shortened course, which was rough in places, and where the difficult conditions left no room for an unnecessary mistake or unjustified risk, he skied aggressively and confidently. At the finish, his advantage was almost half a second.

Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard finished second, 0.48 seconds behind the winner. Marco Odermatt, also representing Switzerland, was a further one-hundredth of a second behind him.

“I felt enormous pressure today,” Lucas Pinheiro Braathen admitted, speaking about defending his title and the long-awaited renewal of his rivalry with Odermatt. “But pressure is a privilege, and I was able to use it. It is an incredible feeling to start our show this way.”

After winning Olympic gold and the “small crystal globe”, the Brazilian did not rest on his laurels. “I was looking for new opportunities and new ways to develop after the Olympic gold and the ‘small crystal globe’. We are moving towards new goals and new challenges,” he said.

In Sölden, Braathen once again demonstrated the style that has already brought him victory on numerous occasions. According to the athlete, in the second half of last season he had already felt the freedom that comes with achieving strong results, and he managed to carry that feeling into the start of the new campaign.

“I am happy that I was able to maintain this mindset in the very first race of the season. I was not going to doubt myself; I knew what I was capable of, and I am very, very proud that I was able to prove it,” he said.

The difficult course posed a serious test for all the competitors, but Braathen adapted to its condition better than anyone else. At the same time, the Swiss did not allow him to turn the race into an outright triumph: Meillard and Odermatt fought for the podium places right to the end.

For Loïc Meillard, the result was especially important. The Swiss usually start the season unconvincingly, then gradually build up speed. Before Sunday, he had never finished higher than fifth on the Rettenbach Glacier.

“Sölden and I have not been the best of friends over the past few years, so to start the season with a podium and a good race is great,” Meillard said.

In the second run, he trailed Odermatt for almost the entire course. Marco, for his part, was making up ground after mistakes in the first run. However, Meillard managed to find another gear in the final intermediate section and ultimately beat his more decorated team-mate by one-hundredth of a second.

“I have had several races where I lost by one-hundredth of a second, so now it is my turn to be ahead,” Meillard noted with a smile. “I think everything will be different in the next race, and that is the beauty of our sport.”

Odermatt, a four-time World Cup giant slalom champion, once again came up against the rival who has already taken the most important trophies away from him. At the Milan-Cortina Olympics, the Swiss missed out on the gold, which went to Lucas, and Braathen then also claimed the “small crystal globe” in giant slalom — the discipline regarded as Odermatt’s speciality.

Despite this, Marco did not appear particularly disappointed with third place. Especially as he suffered a minor injury during the off-season.

“It is always nice to start the season with a podium,” Odermatt said. “I took a big step forward in the second run: I found the right approach, and that is the most important thing.”

At the same time, the Swiss acknowledged the winner’s superiority: “Lucas was too fast in the first run; it was simply impossible to beat him today.”

For Braathen, this is already his second victory in Sölden. He first won on the Rettenbach Glacier in 2020, when he was competing for Norway.

“It is amazing to look back and see myself as the youngest winner here, and then to win again on this course. It is something special for me. That day, when I was 20, changed my life,” the Brazilian said.

Six years later, he returned to winning ways under a different flag and with new views on alpine skiing and his own life. “I was simply able to be myself, to feel myself and this mountain, and the second run gave me enormous pleasure,” Braathen added.

The Alpine Skiing World Cup will continue in three weeks’ time in Finland. 14–15 November will see two slaloms — a women’s and a men’s race — take place on the Levi course.

Photo: footage from the SRF Sport television channel 19:38 25.10.26