Lucas Braathen: How Erling Haaland inspired me to chase my own path
The 23-year-old alpine skier, who recently announced his comeback to the sport, shares with Olympics.com why he admires the mindset of the Manchester City star.
Alpine Skiing
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is not afraid of embracing bold choices.
After announcing his retirement from alpine skiing at the beginning of the season, the 23-year-old Norwegian recently captured headlines worldwide by resuming his career in the sport, now representing Brazil, the country of his mother Alessandra.
The 2023 slalom Crystal Globe champion revealed that someone who inspired him in pursuing his own path was his compatriot - and Premier League top scorer - Erling Haaland.
“I admire him (Haaland) a lot”, Braathen shared in an interview with Olympics.com ahead of the current season.
“He's an individual who looks within to find the answers for what’s best for him, not at everyone’s expectations and opinions. And I think that is one of the several keys to his success. He goes his own path to experience and achieve his own success.
“He is an inspiration to me, just like he is to many others. What he has been able to achieve is ridiculous. He is a kid from Norway. To be able to thrive in football is insane."
We don't know if Braathen had the chance to meet Haaland during his time off, but this is what he would ask him:
"We have loads of friends in common. I would love to talk to him about what he thinks are the most important keys to his success, and how he discovered them. The things that inspire me the most are my inspirations' inspiration. It's something I do a lot of research on and try to adapt into my own progress.”
Lucas Braathen: “I want to transcend sports”
Haaland hasn't been the only inspiration for Braathen, who also cites Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and former U.S. basketball player Dennis Rodman among the personalities he looked up to while growing up.
Daring to stand out and express one's personality deeply resonates with the skier, who aspires to become an inspiration for the next generation himself.
“One of my goals is to transcend sports,” Braathen said. “I want to transcend sports in a way where I can be this little piece of a puzzle that maybe opens the mind within sports and the sports environment to accept different personalities, different approaches, different ways of achieving, whatever their success may be.
“For me that is what sports is all about in the end, and I just want to be a bit of a part of that little change. That is what I hope to inspire the next generation to do more than anything else.”
Braathen will make his return to competition during the 2024-25 World Cup season with a personal team led by his father, Bjorn.