RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — As Brazil enters the joyous fray of Carnival, Alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen on Saturday it gave another reason to celebrate: an Olympic medal.
It was the first ever medal at the Winter Games for any country in South America. And not just any medal: Gold.
The victory for the 25-year-old known in Brazil as “O cara do ski” – the skiing guy – came on the first full day of Carnival, the pre-Lenten celebration that fills the city streets with revelers drinking and dancing to their heart’s content. Even though many ordinary Brazilians were more concerned with that bacchanal, Pinheiro Braathen’s gold medal pushed Carnival news to the top spots on major news websites. It was yet another in a string of recent scores for Brazil on the major global stages that have brought what some consider long-awaited acclaim.
“This has undoubtedly become one of my top five gold medals in Brazil in Olympic history,” radio host and sports fanatic Thiago Varella, 41, told The Associated Press from Campinas, a town where Pinheiro Braathen has family and has spent several childhood holidays. “He will always be our ski guy. Even people who don’t understand the sport now will come to admire his story and his Brazilian character.”
In Milan, hundreds of fans gathered at the Brazil House, a gathering place organized by the Olympic Committee. They erupted, toasting their beer bottles and singing football-like chants using Lucas’ name. Michelin-starred Brazilian chef Raphael Rego handed out hot cheese bread and traditional breakfasts to the home before dancing to samba alongside Bruno Fratus, a bronze-winning swimmer at the Tokyo Summer Games. Many wore green and gold and joined a conga line led by Ginga, the Brazilian Olympic team mascot.
“We’re often used to this feeling in football, sometimes in volleyball, but you know, it’s a winter sport, it’s a snow sport,” says Aline Fialho from Recife, northeastern Brazil. “We don’t have snow in Brazil, so it’s a bit surreal, but I’m very proud.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrated on his social media channels.
“This unprecedented result shows that Brazilian sport knows no boundaries. It is a reflection of talent, dedication and continuous work to strengthen the sport in every dimension,” said Lula. “Congratulations to Lucas Pinheiro and the entire team involved in this historic achievement, which inspires new generations and broadens the horizons for Brazilian sport.”
Wake up to a win
The football-mad country with 213 million inhabitants excels in sports during the Summer Olympics, but not in the field of ice and snow. So it was unlikely that Pinheiro Braathen and skiing would have been on the minds of most Brazilians, even on a non-Carnival weekend.
Yet the nation began to grow excited as it became aware of the possibility of his achievement. On Saturday at 6 a.m. local time, Globo, the country’s dominant TV network, showed alpine skiing in addition to Carnival.
After his second and final run, Globo played a song familiar to many Brazilian men, women and children, conveying the importance of his win. “Tema da Victoria” (“Victory Theme,” in Portuguese) was the soundtrack after each victory Formula 1 driver Ayrton Sennaa national hero and three-time world champion who often challenged and defeated European rivals.
“It’s a Brazilian carnival in the Italian snow!” said TV Globo commentator Paulo Andrade.
In Rio de Janeiro, people were divided between curious and festive.
Driver Alexandre Novais heard that the skier was competing in Italy, but did not know his name. When he stopped at a gas station in Rio’s upscale Ipanema neighborhood, he was impressed that everyone from Brazil could compete in the snow – a far cry from Rio’s 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). Pinheiro Braathen played for Norway until 2023, but switched to Brazil last season and added his mother’s surname.
“I heard about him, I’m happy he won,” said Novais, 35. “I’m more of a football fan, but anyone who chooses to be Brazilian deserves our support.”
Nathalia Martínez, a 25-year-old Colombian who was in Rio for Carnival, was in the lobby of her hotel when people started shouting for joy. She said she felt proud when she saw the Brazilian shout as he tried to sing the national anthem.
“That’s 100% Latin America. No Norwegian athlete would be that emotional on stage. I can say I felt a little bit represented by him too,” Martinez said. “I am very curious whether Brazilians will wear ski clothes as carnival costumes.”
Another big win for Brazil at global level
Pinheiro Braathen, 25, has embraced his Brazilian heritage, giving interviews in Portuguese and decorating his helmet with “Vamos Dançar” – “Let’s Dance.” He has said that his start in the sport came from football, not skiing, and that his first hero was the World Cup-winning Ronaldinho.
Pinheiro Braathen’s quest for Olympic glory is part of the country’s recent achievements on the world’s biggest stages. Many Brazilians lament that the country and its cultural composition and production have long been undervalued. There is even an infamous term that for decades summed up what writer Nelson Rodrigues considered Brazil’s sense of inferiority compared to other countries: “bastard complex.” He invented it in 1950, after the humiliating defeat of the national football team on home field.
That is changing. The feature film ‘I’m Still Here’ had box office successes at home and abroad and was nominated for three Academy Awards something like frenzy prior to the awards ceremony last March. The film won the award for best international feature film and gave Brazil its first Oscar. This year’s movie “The Secret Agent” has been nominated for four more films, including best picture and best actor.
Pinheiro Braathen’s supporters in Milan said he helped Brazil gain recognition beyond its usual claims to fame.
“We are showing that we are more than samba and (soccer),” said Giovana Biondo, who is from Sao Paulo and is volunteering at the Games. “We love both and we’re still very good at both. But I think it really sends a message to the entire planet that we are more than the carnival.”
After his victory, Pinheiro Braathen told Globo that he wanted to share his victory with everyone who cheered for him in Brazil.
“This can be a point of inspiration for the next generation of kids, showing them that nothing is impossible. It doesn’t matter where you come from. It’s what’s in it that matters. What the heart does,” he said. “I bring Brazilian strength today to bring this flag to the podium. This is Brazil’s.”
Dazio reported from Milan. Associated Press writer David Biller contributed.
