In one of the most dramatic twists of the 2025-26 FIS Alpine World Cup season, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA) delivered a flawless first run to seize the lead in the men’s giant slalom at Hafjell (Lillehammer, Norway) on March 24, 2026 — while four-time defending GS champion Marco Odermatt (SUI) spectacularly crashed out with a DNF.
The Norwegian-born Brazilian Olympic champion, skiing with bib 4, attacked the tricky, softening spring snow with precision and power, stopping the clock at 1:11.24. Right behind him:
Stefan Brennsteiner (AUT) +0.21
Loïc Meillard (SUI) +0.63
Odermatt, who came into the final race with a 48-point lead in the GS standings, pushed hard early but lost control in the second sector, launching off a roll and hooking a gate for a heartbreaking early exit. The Swiss superstar had already wrapped up the Overall, Super-G, and Downhill globes this season — but the one that defined his dominance for years is now slipping away.
With the second run still to come, the math is brutal for the king of giant slalom: Pinheiro Braathen only needs to finish 4th or better to become the first Brazilian — and first South American — to win a men’s GS Crystal Globe.
“I took the risk and tried to fully attack one last time… it was probably too much,” Odermatt said after the DNF, staying classy as always. “With those rolls, when you don’t really know how fast you go over them, it’s easy to be just a little late.”
The alpine world is losing its mind. After years of Swiss supremacy in GS, a new chapter is being written on Norwegian snow — and it’s written in green and yellow.
Second run starts soon. Can Braathen hold his nerve and make history? Or will Brennsteiner or Meillard pull off a miracle comeback?
The fight for the Globe is WIDE OPEN. 👀
