Lucas Pinheiro Braathen dances Samba in ski boots

“Let’s bring samba back to skiing,” announced Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the Brazilian with Norwegian roots who was previously considered a Norwegian with a Brazilian touch. The 23-year-old suddenly drew the attention of active skiers to himself – the supposed early retiree – when he announced his comeback.

Descriptions of the Oslo-born slalom specialist vary, but point in the same direction: a bird of paradise in ski boots who designs fashion, presents himself on catwalks, plays as a DJ and encourages young people to dance. A slightly strange guy with blonde curls and painted fingernails. But above all an excellent skier, winner of the slalom classification in the 2022/23 World Cup season, who was able to inspire a new, hip target group for the more conservative ski sport – and could now do so again.

On Sunday, the 31-year-old Austrian Manuel Feller – a rather rustic guy who has also tried his hand at singing in a reggae band – will inherit the crystal ball as the best slalom skier in Braathen at the season finale in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. He had given up without a fight before the start of the season when he tearfully announced his resignation in Sölden. The sensitive slalom artist had fallen out with the Norwegian Ski Association (NSF), which he felt had robbed him of his personal rights – incapacitated, so to speak.

With a crystal ball: Braathen was the best slalom rider in the world in the 2022/23 season: Image: dpa

Ostensibly, it was about the young star taking advertising shots for a fashion brand that was not part of the NSF’s sponsorship pool, and was sanctioned with a fine for it. The background to the dispute is the Norwegian marketing system, which strictly regulates athletes when choosing their personal sponsors.

The lucrative “bounty” for space on the helmet is a particularly sensitive point. The stars’ individual earning potential is therefore limited – but the association uses the income to finance its efficient support system, which produces a surprising number of top talent in relation to the number of inhabitants. However, this tendency towards collectivism goes against the exalted individualist Braathen – and so he was forced to slow down in October.

In the proud exuberance of youth, he gave up his apartment in Oslo, bought a one-way ticket to Sao Paulo, and reflected on his life there. He later went on flying visits to New York and Paris – but soon back to the mountains. In January he stirred up the scene wearing a cowboy hat on the sidelines of the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel. At that time there were already increasing signs that he could make a comeback in the ski circuit.

During his time out he realized that he needed the challenge to prove himself. The opportunity to present yourself in front of tens of thousands and give them a show. He packaged his ambition altruistically: “The fact that I can drive around plastic flags two hundredths of a second faster won’t change the world,” he said: “But the two hundredths might change the life of a child who also wants to chase his dreams.”

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen’s parents separated when he was three. At first he lived with his mother in Sao Paulo, but then soon in Norway. He moved from ski resort to ski resort with his father Björn, a ski instructor. He never felt at home anywhere, but he matured into an excellent skier. And he learned to assert himself without conforming.

The Norwegian Brazilian loves the challenge between the ski poles: Image: dpa

At first he wanted to be a professional soccer player – but then he preferred to be a skier who dances the Samba in ski boots. And now even under the Brazilian flag. Anders Pettersson, President of the Brazilian Snow Sports Federation (CBDN), spoke enthusiastically about a “game changer” for Brazil. Braathen himself announced full of pathos that he was proud to represent the country “that gave him the joy of sport” in the World Cup, the World Cup and the Olympics. However, he is trained by a Norwegian – his father. And he will live in Austria; he has moved into a new home in Altenmark.

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The chances that he will be back in the top group are good. The NSF agreed to the change of nation, which meant he could keep his FIS points. His sponsors were also ready again – and according to reports, a few new ones even came knocking. The slalom dance can begin.