Lucas Pinheiro Braathen overcomes his trauma on the Chuenisbärgli and makes it onto the giant slalom podium in Adelboden for the first time in his career. After the race, the Brazilian fights back tears.
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- Lucas Pinheiro Braathen races to a strong second place in the Adelboden giant slalom and celebrates it like a victory at the finish.
- There is a reason for this: after a fall five years ago, the Brazilian struggled enormously with the steep slope on the Chuenisbärgli and even abandoned his run in 2022 out of fear.
- The trauma now seems to have been overcome and Braathen makes it clear: "As a skier, this is an achievement I'm most proud of."
Flashback: In January 2021, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is doomed by the very last gate in the giant slalom in Adelboden. He crashes at the finish, seriously injures his left knee and has to end his season. A year later, he abandons his giant slalom run on the Chuenisbärgli - and explains afterwards: "I was very scared of the last steep slope. I was also thinking about last year."
Since then, Braathen has never made it to the finish in the Adelboden giant slalom - until this year. After two very strong runs, the Brazilian only has to admit defeat to Chuenisbärgli king Odermatt - and celebrates his second place in difficult conditions like a victory.
The fear of the steep slope
"You couldn't see anything. It was shaking from start to finish. It was a real test for a technician," says Braathen in the finish area, adding: "As a skier, this is a success I'm most proud of. The Chuenisbärgli is one of the biggest challenges in our sport."
Then the 25-year-old gets emotional. "It's the first time I've crossed the finish line since I got injured here years ago. I have tried again and again. I couldn't get over my fear of this last steep slope," says Braathen, who is preparing specifically for the giant slalom in the Bernese Oberland: "I've done so much therapy - especially for this race. It's taken years, but now I'm standing here on the podium. Words can't describe how proud I am."
However, the exceptional athlete doesn't get through the Chuenisbärgli without injury this year either and turns up at the interview with a bleeding finger. Brathen doesn't know where and when he got the cut, however, and laughs: "My adrenaline is going through the roof right now. I could have lost a finger and I wouldn't feel a thing."
