Lucas Braathen claimed the first-ever World Cup Giant Slalom victory for Brazil. | Image: FIS Alpine
March 7 brought the first of two technical races in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, where the men’s field lined up for the final regular-season Giant Slalom before the World Cup Finals.
Related: [OLYMPICS] Brazil Makes History: Lucas Braathen Wins Olympic Giant Slalom Gold
World Cup leader Marco Odermatt had a chance to effectively secure the 2025–26 season Giant Slalom crystal globe ahead of the Finals, but Lucas Pinheiro Braathen spoiled those plans with a commanding performance, claiming victory and dramatically tightening the discipline standings. Rounding out the podium were Loic Meillard in second and Stefan Brennsteiner in third.
The race followed the traditional Giant Slalom format: two runs with combined times deciding the result, with only the top 30 from the first run qualifying for the second.
Lucas Braathen, Loic Meillard, and Stefan Brennmeister celebrating with champagne. | Image: FIS Alpine
Run 1
Opening the race was Marco Odermatt in bib 1. The Swiss star set the early pace with a time of 1:11.28. However, his lead was short-lived. Austria’s Stefan Brennsteiner delivered an outstanding run, crossing the finish line 0.78 seconds faster to take the provisional lead.
Brennsteiner’s teammate Marco Schwarz slotted in behind, 0.74 seconds off the Austrian’s mark.
Then came Lucas Braathen. The Brazilian standout produced a brilliant mid-section, surging ahead by 0.14 seconds to claim the lead at the halfway point.
Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard inserted himself between the Austrians, finishing 0.35 seconds behind Braathen. Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath in bib 6 finished 0.33 seconds behind Odermatt, while the final racer from the top-seven seeded starters, Henrik Kristoffersen, crossed just 0.05 seconds behind Odermatt.
From further down the start list, Austria’s Patrick Feurstein (bib 20) squeezed into the top ranks, finishing between Kristoffersen and McGrath.
For the Americans, River Radamus led the way, qualifying for the second run in 15th place. Bridger Gile and Ryder Sarchett also advanced, sitting 23rd and 24th respectively. Patrick Kennedy finished outside the top 30 in 46th, while Isaiah Nelson and Cooper Puckett recorded DNFs.
Braathen’s opening run placed him firmly in control heading into the final run, holding a slim but crucial advantage over Brennsteiner and Meillard.
Lucas Braathen shooting to victory in Kranjska Gora. | Image: FIS Alpine
Run 2
Early standouts on run 2 were Austria’s Raphael Haaser, who delivered one of the best performances of the second run, recording the second-fastest time and climbing from 19th after run one to finish ninth overall. In addition, Germany’s Anton Grammel enjoyed a career-best result, moving from 13th after the first run to eighth by the end of the race. While France’s Léo Anguenot also made gains, climbing from 10th to sixth. Anguenot’s combined time became the benchmark for the remaining nine skiers.
Then it got down to the top-ranked from run 1. Atle Lie McGrath responded with the fastest second run of the day, catapulting himself into the lead and eventually finishing just off the podium in fourth place.
Marco Odermatt could not find the extra speed needed to challenge for victory and fell behind McGrath, ultimately remaining in fifth place. Henrik Kristoffersen dropped one spot from sixth to seventh, while Marco Schwarz slid further down the rankings to tenth.
That left only the top three skiers from the first run at the start of the course. Loïc Meillard was first among them. The Swiss skier delivered an exceptional second run, knocking McGrath out of the leader’s chair by 0.58 seconds and guaranteeing himself at least a podium finish.
Stefan Brennsteiner followed but could not quite match Meillard’s pace, finishing 0.26 seconds behind the Swiss racer.
Last out of the gate was Lucas Braathen. Carrying a 0.35-second advantage from the first run, the pressure was squarely on the Brazilian. Braathen exploded from the start, skiing smoothly through the upper section while losing only fractions of time to Meillard. Through the middle section he extended his advantage by nearly three-tenths and maintained that margin through the flat finish section.
The Giant Slalom podium in Kranjska Gora: Lucas Braathen 1st, Loic Meillard 2nd, Stefan Brennmeister 3rd. | Image: FIS Alpine
He crossed the line 0.54 seconds ahead of Meillard, securing the first Giant Slalom victory for Brazil in World Cup history. The finish area erupted as Braathen celebrated with samba moves before bowing to the cheering crowd. “The sun was out, spring is springing, the fans gave me amazing energy,” he said afterward. “My skiing felt like dancing so I thought I would pay a little tribute to it. What a fun day.”
The victory dramatically tightened the Giant Slalom standings. Odermatt still leads with 495 points, but Braathen is now just 48 points behind with one race remaining at the World Cup Finals in Lillehammer. A victory for Braathen at the Finals combined with a fourth place or worse for Odermatt would hand the small crystal globe to the Brazilian.
Braathen’s form has been remarkable in recent months, most notably winning gold at the Olympics. Since mid-December he has recorded two wins, four additional podiums, and several other top-five finishes, putting even the dominant Odermatt under pressure. “I am skiing with a lot of happiness, a lot of joy,” Braathen said. “The only thing I’ve been trying to do since the Olympics is enjoy it while preparing for the last races with a lot on the line.”
River Radamus led the U.S. team with a 20th-place finish, clocking a combined time of 2:14.63, 2.68 seconds behind Braathen. Radamus currently sits 10th in the season-long Giant Slalom standings with one race remaining before the Finals. Bridger Gile also scored World Cup points, finishing 27th, just behind teammate Ryder Sarchett in 26th. “I’m very happy with the skiing,” Gile said after the race. “I feel like I’ve been skiing well and fast for most of February… so it was nice to be able to show the speed against the best competition in the world.”
With just one Giant Slalom remaining this season, the battle for the crystal globe is now wide open. What seemed like another inevitable title for Marco Odermatt has suddenly turned into a two-man showdown with Lucas Braathen heading into the Finals — setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion to the season.
Celebrating their podium: Lucas Braathen and Stefan Brennmeister. | Image: FIS Alpine