The Braathen shock: The possible background

Even my father was shocked. And he is 83 and will soon be 84. But he is still an ardent ski fan who never misses a World Cup race on television. And who is a big fan of Lucas Braathen. Or until yesterday. The 23-year-old Norwegian's resignation is a huge shock. Not just for the many fans he has, not for the journalists who are losing probably the most dazzling ski bird, but above all for the sport itself.

Flashback: Friday, October 27th, 11 a.m. In the Norwegian team hotel, Lucas Braathen sits in front of the TV cameras in a pink jacket and a white T-shirt with a purple heart. In a three-minute monologue he doesn't announce a private action to save the rainforest in his mother Alessandra's home country in Brazil. No, he begins the press conference, which was scheduled at short notice, with the words: “I'm done.” In a quiet, monotonous but strong voice, Marco Odermatt, the greatest talent in men's ski racing, explains the reasons for his immediate resignation.

<a data-caption="War im vergangenen Mai noch in St. Vigil in Enneberg und feierte mit den Südtiroler Nachwuchstalenten David Castlunger (links) und Alex Silbernagl (rechts): Lucas Braathen (Mitte)." data-fancybox="inline-179695" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2023/10/war-im-vergangenen-mai-noch-in-st-vigil-in-enneberg-und-feierte-mit-den-suedtiroler-nachwuchstalenten-david-castlunger-links-und-alex-silbernagl-r.jpg"> Was in St. Vigil in Enneberg last May and celebrated with the young South Tyrolean talents David Castlunger (left) and Alex Silbernagl (right): Lucas Braathen (middle).

He speaks of a sporting dream that he was able to fulfill in the best men's team in the world. But that in the end he wasn't happy anymore. After he has “let it out,” he says: “For the first time in six months I am happy, for the first time in many years I feel free.” Braathen lasts 2.21:XNUMX minutes with his explanations, then the tears come. And: “I don’t give up in protest or because I’m bitter. I just want to live a different life.”

The fact that he is tired of fighting with the Norwegian Ski Association for more rights is only one reason for his resignation, says Braathen. He models for the fashion brand “J. Lindeberg” and thus apparently offended the Norwegian association, which is equipped by “Helly Hansen”. Before Braathen, Aksel Lund Svindal and Henrik Kristoffersen were also in a clinch with the Norwegian association leadership.

The unexpected news The timing of the resignation was surprising. This is all the more so because Braathen was willing to provide information about his sporting future at the Norwegian ski men's press conference the day before (“my dream is to do more Super-G”) and look back on the summer (“I'm involved a lot with friends and was back in Brazil, my mother's homeland, for the first time in years") and talks about the Sölden slope ("difficult slope for skiers with good technique"). No trace of discontent. 24 hours later, the biggest eccentric in the Ski World Cup made a complete turnaround. “I wanted out, and now I’m out. And happy with it.” Only he knows whether Braathen, who had to put up with a lot of criticism because of his extravagant, mostly feminine clothing, but also his brightly painted fingernails, and saw his freedom restricted because of this.

It is an open secret that the human aspect, the warmth, is often neglected in the World Cup. And the fact that experienced drivers are sometimes not necessarily helpful for the “young people”, but rather defend their status as top dogs. Added to this are the rules of behavior that are not always verbally exemplary. Whereby: Braathen was highly respected and accepted in the Norwegian men's team. If he withdraws now, the World Cup will lose its outstanding figure, which would have done the dusty, often boring circus extremely good for the next 10 years. Take care Lucas, your gap will never be filled.

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The Braathen shock: The possible background

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