Search for interviews given by skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, whether published in Brazilian vehicles, in the international press or on the channels of his main sponsor. It will be very difficult to finish reading or listening without coming across some version of the phrase “I just want to be myself.”
Born in Oslo, Norway, the 25-year-old athlete is obsessed with the free expression of his identity. And this is one of the reasons why he will compete for medals at the Winter Olympics defending the flag of Brazil, his mother’s country of origin.
His parents separated when he was three years old. He initially stayed with his mother, in São Paulo, before following his father, a Norwegian, who introduced him to alpine skiing and a nomadic life through ski resorts in Europe. By the time he was 22, he had already moved 21 times.
“I didn’t feel at home anywhere. I adopted the local accent, imitated the behavior. I changed my personality, my accent, my interests, so often, only to lose them. So I stopped and learned to be myself,” he said.
Initially resistant to skiing – a fan of Ronaldinho Gaúcho, he wanted to be a football player –, he ended up seeing the snow as a space to express himself. But this expressiveness was not always welcomed in a sport in which there is still a somewhat rigid concept of elegance and discipline.
“My way of skiing is a representation of my personality, my history. I want to show that it doesn’t matter where you are from, your accent, your clothes. That what matters are your dreams and that you can do anything you want”, he said.
In his own way, Lucas built a solid start to his career and reached the alpine skiing World Cup title in 2023, in the slalom modality, with the colors of Norway. Then, due to disagreements with his country’s federation, “without space to show personality”, he surprised by announcing his retirement, at the age of 23.
The stop didn’t last long. In 2024, it announced its return, designed in partnership with CBDN (Brazilian Confederation of Snow Sports). Authorized to have his own preparation team and his own sponsors, he was also free to act as a DJ and designer and felt free to celebrate victories with cowboy boots, painted nails and sambadinha on the podium.
“To recover who I am, I had to risk losing the sport I love. And, in that risk, I found something much bigger: myself”, he says, in an excerpt from the documentary “Lucas Pinheiro Braathen – do Meu Jeito”, available on Globoplay.
At the press conference where he declared he was back, he celebrated a new possibility. “Now I can mix my creative self and my athlete,” said the skier, who likes to share some of his moments on social media with his girlfriend, Brazilian actress Isadora Cruz, protagonist of the soap opera “Coração Acelerado”, on TV Globo.
“I want to create more breadth and acceptance for diversity in the sports community, showing that you can achieve whatever you want, no matter who you are or where you come from. Brazil has always had a great influence on the formation of the person and athlete that I am. Having the opportunity to represent 200 million Brazilians is a dream that has come true”, he smiled.
Now Lucas can enjoy the affection of the Brazilian fans, who have already approached him in competitions with gifts such as cheese bread and brigadeiros. “This is a type of love that only exists in Brazil.”
It will be in green and yellow that he will fight for medals at the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. He will be competing in the slalom and giant slalom – he is currently second in both categories at the World Cup.
Willing to show who he is.
