With Brazil entering the joyous throes of Carnival, Alpine ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen on Saturday gave it another reason to celebrate — an Olympic medal. It was the first-ever medal at the Winter Games for any country in South America. And not just any medal: Gold.

Once a racer for Norway, Pinheiro Braathen switched to Brazil, his mother's home country. In winning the Olympic giant slalom on Saturday, he earned South America's first medal at a Winter Games.

From over 90 nations competing at the Winter Olympics 2026, two nations and an entire continent have landed their first-ever medals at the Games.

They will serve as a blueprint for future editions or how to host a Games without losing its essential snow-bound setting.

From hand-painted heritage to sculptural capes, Haiti, Mongolia, and Brazil gave the 2026 Winter Olympics its most loved looks.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen makes history for Brazil by clinching his nation's first Winter Olympic medal with gold in the giant slalom.

Braathen won Brazil’s first-ever Winter Games medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Brazil danced after winning their first Winter Olympics gold medal while Canada is still trying to win their first.

There is something surreal, and thus wonderfully Olympic, about seeing Brazil step onto the highest podium at the Winter Games. The country of samba, Copacabana beaches, and football lived as

Lucas Pinheiro Braathan achieved a historic milestone by winning Brazil's first-ever Winter Olympic medal on Saturday, February 14.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen said it was "absolutely impossible" to try and convey his emotions after his big win

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen makes Winter Olympic history for Brazil - Gold in the giant slalom was Brazil’s – and indeed South America’s – first medal at the Winter Games.