Olympics-Alpine skiing-Brazilian rebel Pinheiro Braathen inspired by Italian hero Tomba in bid for historic gold

By Elisa Anzolin

MILAN, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Not surprisingly for a man who brings a very distinct flair to Alpine skiing, Brazilian slalom specialist Lucas Pinheiro Braathen idolises Italian great Alberto Tomba.

Slalom king Tomba was pure box office during a career that brought him three Olympic gold medals and 50 World Cup victories spread across slalom and giant slalom.

Pinheiro Braathen, who switched allegiance from Norway to represent his mother’s country of birth in 2024 after a year away from the circuit, competes in the same disciplines and will be seeking to make history next week by winning South America’s first medal at the Winter Olympics.

If he manages it, Tomba can take some credit.

“He is my hero. I mean, if you’re a ski fan, you are an Alberto Tomba fan,” the 25-year-old told Reuters at Casa Brazil on Saturday, the day after he carried the flag at the opening ceremony in the San Siro. “Even if you aren’t a ski fan, you might still be. And I think that is what defines Tomba’s legacy.

“He went beyond being a ski racer, not because he tried to, just because of the person that he truly is. He is an outcast. He is someone that brought a difference by simply being who he is, and that has inspired me a lot.”

Pinheiro Braathen, like Tomba, stands out from the crowd. His flowing hair, painted nails, fashion statements and occasional DJ appearances live up to his self-confessed status as a bit of a rebel in the conservative world of ski racing.

The now 59-year-old Tomba, who helped light the Olympic cauldron in Milan on Friday, had a reputation for volatile behaviour including karate-kicking a photographer and abusing his position as a policeman to beat Christmas traffic. 

Pinheiro Braathen’s fallout with the Norwegian federation was largely to do with him not being able to express his personality. But he is now thriving and trying to make a mark just like Tomba did.

“The few times I’ve been able to speak to him, I’ve been barely able to communicate with him because it is such a special feeling being in his presence,” said the 25-year-old, who made history this season by winning Brazil’s first World Cup race when he slalomed to victory in Levi, Finland.

“Very grateful for what he’s done to the sport that I get to compete in. He’s paved the way for a lot of us other athletes.”

Pinheiro Braathen had already established his reputation skiing for Norway, winning the crystal globe for becoming World Cup slalom champion in the 2023 season.

But he said skiing in the colours of Brazil, where he spent large chunks of his youth, is more special and that he was “flying” at the opening ceremony.

“This is a second chapter of my life,” he said. “Honestly, the pressure is very high. I represent more than 200 million Brazilians, and I am the athlete with the greatest chance to bring home a medal.

“That is a responsibility I carry every day, right up to the day of my competition. But that pressure is also a privilege.”

Pinheiro Braathen is second in the World Cup slalom and giant slalom standings after a consistent season and only second to Swiss great Marco Odermatt in the overall rankings.

He will face Odermatt in next Saturday’s giant slalom on the Stelvio course, before taking to his “dance floor” for the slalom in the final men’s race of the Olympics on Feb 16.

Should he win a medal, his trademark samba celebration will accompany the caipirinhas that will no doubt be flowing.

“It’s an expansion of who I am, and it’s my dance floor, right?” he said when asked if the flowing movements of slalom personify his persona.

“It’s where I get to express who I am, my story.”

(Writing by Martyn Herman in Bormio; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)