Pinheiro Braathen wins Sölden giant slalom, denying Swiss one-two

The result on the Rettenbach glacier

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the giant slalom that opened the World Cup alpine season at Sölden in Austria on Sunday, 25 October. The 26-year-old Brazilian, an Olympic champion, led after the first run and confirmed his position in the second. Loïc Meillard finished 0.48 seconds back and Marco Odermatt 0.49 seconds back, so the Swiss pair missed a first one-two finish in the event. Had Meillard won, it would have been his first victory on the Rettenbach glacier, according to Le Temps. The gaps to the winner are shown below.

What it means for the overall title

Before the season started, Pinheiro Braathen announced that he wanted to challenge Marco Odermatt for the overall World Cup title this winter, and Sölden is the first race of that campaign. Odermatt, a 29-year-old from Nidwalden, has won the overall title five consecutive times, as dpa reported. Le Temps noted that an Odermatt victory in Sölden would have been his 55th World Cup win, which would have put him level with Vreni Schneider on the statistical list. The Brazilian's win therefore places him directly among the candidates for the overall standings, with the three men on the podium all in contention.

Gratz and the German results

Fabian Gratz, a 29-year-old racing for TSV Altenau, was the best German in sixth place, his second-best World Cup result. He had finished fifth in the giant slalom at Alta Badia in December 2025. Gratz said the feeling at Sölden is always a bit different, because after the summer break nobody knows exactly where they stand against the rest of the field. He summed up his race like this:

It took a few gates, but then I felt really comfortable.

Anton Grammel finished 15th, while Alexander Schmid, who has been hit by many health setbacks in past seasons, was 21st. Gratz was the only German in the top ten.

Conditions and the finish

Because of strong wind in the upper part of the course, athletes from the reserve start went onto the piste somewhat lower down the slope. At the finish, Pinheiro Braathen spread his arms, let the crowd celebrate him and then cheered loudly into the TV camera. The race was the opening round of the season, so the results give the first measure of where each skier stands before the rest of the calendar. The top three finished within half a second of each other, a tight margin at the front of the field.