Chasing Brazil's first Alpine skiing World Cup win, Pinheiro Braathen leads slalom after 1st run

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen has taken a commanding pb successful the opening tally of a men’s World Cup slalom

LEVI, Finland -- Lucas Pinheiro Braathen took a commanding pb successful the opening tally of a men’s World Cup slalom Sunday, positioning himself for what would beryllium Brazil’s first-ever triumph successful a top-level skis contention little than 3 months earlier the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Pinheiro Braathen had an all-attacking tally connected the Levi Black people to decorativeness 0.41 seconds up of 2022 Olympic champion Clement Noel of France and 0.49 up of his erstwhile Norwegian teammate Timon Haugan.

The remainder of the field, including slalom World Cup victor Henrik Kristoffersen and satellite champion Loic Meillard, had much than eight-tenths to marque up connected Pinheiro Braathen successful the last limb aboriginal Sunday.

“I had a bully feeling. I had a program and a strategy, and I followed that. I cognize erstwhile I travel my plan, I person a batch of potential," Pinheiro Braathen said.

A tech specializer who debuted connected the World Cup successful 2018, Pinheiro Braathen won 5 races successful full earlier clinching the season-long slalom rubric successful 2022-23.

He past fell out with the Norwegian skis federation implicit his idiosyncratic selling rights, took a year-long interruption from the athletics and returned past play competing for Brazil, his mother’s autochthonal country.

The archetypal skier for the state connected Alpine skiing’s World Cup circuit since 2016, Pinheiro Braathen racked up 5 podium results. Brazil has ne'er won a World Cup contention oregon a medal astatine the Olympics oregon satellite championships successful Alpine skiing.

In an interview with The Associated Press successful September, Pinheiro Braathen said his archetypal triumph for Brazil “will come, and it’s coming soon.”

Skiing large Marcel Hirscher, who besides switched federations earlier making a comeback past year, sat retired Sunday's contention and postponed his return from wounded until January.

After winning a grounds 8 wide titles for Austria, Hirscher retired successful 2019 but returned to the circuit for the Netherlands, his mother’s autochthonal country.

Hirscher's comeback play was chopped abbreviated aft 3 races erstwhile helium injured his genu successful slalom grooming successful aboriginal December.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

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