Lucas Pinheiro Braathen continues his winning streak. © APA/afp / JURE MAKOVEC

The Olympic champion is also giving Odermatt a hard time in the World Cup.

The first World Cup giant slalom since the Olympic Games is scheduled for Saturday in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen set the pace.

March 07, 2026

From: never

An Olympic gold medal can either ease the tension for the rest of the season or act as a release – for Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, it's definitely the latter. The newly crowned Olympic champion clocked the fastest time in the first giant slalom since the Winter Games in Kranjska Gora and is now dreaming of his first World Cup victory in this discipline since December 2022.

Braathen had a flawless run and particularly impressed in the final two sections. There he solidified his lead of 0,14 seconds over Austrian Stefan Brennsteiner. Loic Meillard (+0,35) and Marco Schwarz (+0,88) finished in third and fourth place, respectively. Swiss superstar Marco Odermatt came in fifth (+0,92).

Odermatt reaches for crystal – Vinatzer far back

For Odermatt, Saturday's race is nothing less than a crucial one in the battle for the small crystal globe. With two races remaining, he leads the standings with 450 points, while Braathen lurks in second place with 347 points, waiting for his chance – and he intends to seize it. Should Odermatt fail to mount a comeback in Kranjska Gora, the duel would intensify further, culminating in the World Cup Finals in Kvtifjell (March 24).

Marco Odermatt starts the final from fourth place. © APA/afp / JURE MAKOVEC

The Azzurri suffered a defeat in the first run. Alex Vinatzer was on the slope. Podkoren 3 Too often sideways, Wolkensteiner couldn't find a consistent and fast line. This resulted in a significant deficit of 2,58 seconds, but he qualified for the second run in 26th place. Tobias Kastlunger missed out, finishing 42nd (+3,59). The second run starts at 12:30 pm (in the SportNewslive ticker).