Lucas Braathen caused an earthquake in the ski world. © AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI

After resignation: Wild speculation about Lucas Braathen

Lucas Braathen's retirement at the age of just 23 deeply shocked the ski world. It didn't take long before there was the first wild speculation about the Norwegian.

28 October 2023

From: det

Sölden is a place of fate for Lucas Braathen. Three years ago - on October 18, 2020 - the then 20-year-old youngster stunned the ski world when, completely unexpectedly, he raced to his first World Cup victory. On Friday, Braathen am Rettenbachferner was once again in the headlines, but for a sad reason: To the shock of the ski scene, the Norwegian ended his career at just 23 years old.

The reactions to his farewell video on Instagram show how popular Braathen was in the World Cup circus. “You can’t do that! Guys like you are so important to our sport, I hope this isn't a final decision. The system needs to be changed, but it is a big loss for the ski world,” commented Frenchman Johan Clarey. There is news from Christof Innerhofer from South Tyrol: “No brother, we need your samba on the ski slopes.”

Will he start for Brazil now?

Samba, that's a good keyword. Braathen is half-Brazilian, his mother comes from the South American country. And that sparked speculation shortly after the resignation announcement. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Braathen starts for Brazil next winter,” explained overall World Cup winner Marco Odermatt View. “The Brazilian federation certainly wouldn’t mind if they brought J. Lindeberg clothing and Red Bull as a sponsor.”

Lucas Braathen quit completely unexpectedly. © AFP / JURE MAKOVEC

To put things into perspective: Because Braathen modeled for the fashion brand J. Lindeberg in the summer, there was trouble with the Norwegian association because it was outfitted by another brand. The 23-year-old is also sponsored by Red Bull, but the red bulls are not allowed to appear on his helmet, as this place is also reserved for an association sponsor. These strict requirements always cause tension between athletes and the federation in Norway.

Gino Caviezel, one of the stars of the Swiss ski team, also thinks that Braathen's career is not over yet. “I'm pretty sure Lucas will be resigning next winter,” he said View. One thing is clear: the Braathen file will continue to be a topic of discussion in the coming weeks and months.