Brazilian skier Pinheiro Bratens has made history by winning the gold medal in alpine skiing at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, becoming the first medalist from Brazil and South America in the history of the winter Olympic Games. Bratens, who was born in Oslo to a Norwegian-Brazilian family and lived in Brazil during his early years, demonstrated remarkable skill by leading after the first run and maintaining a 0.58 second lead over Swiss skier Marco Odermatt in the second run. The bronze medal went to Switzerland's Luis Meilards, who finished 1.17 seconds behind Bratens.

In this event, Latvian skier Elvis Opmanis had a tough competition, finishing in 48th place after the first run, trailing Bratens by 10.98 seconds. In the second run, Opmanis improved his position slightly to 45th overall, but still finished 18.10 seconds behind the champion. His performance reflects the challenging nature of alpine skiing at an Olympic level, where even a small gap in timing can significantly affect rankings.

This victory not only highlights the emerging talents from Brazil in winter sports but also emphasizes a growing interest and participation in alpine skiing in regions that have traditionally been more focused on summer sports. Bratens' success may inspire future athletes from Brazil and South America to pursue winter sports, potentially leading to more competitive representation in future Olympic games.