Lucas Pinheiro Braathen wins season opener
25-year-old switched allegiance from Norway
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen made skiing history as he delivered Brazil’s first-ever World Cup victory in a thrilling season-opening race at Levi on Sunday.
Pinheiro Braathen, who switched allegiance from Norway to Brazil last year, held a commanding 0.41-seconds lead from the first run and weaved his way down through the gates again in an ice-cool second run to claim the landmark win.
France’s Olympic slalom champion Clement Noel was second, 0.31 seconds slower, while Finnish home fans in the Arctic Circle resort celebrated noisily as Eduard Hallberg came third.
