Lucas Braathen: ‘There’s always a better version of yourself out there’
The Norwegian alpine skier tells Olympics.com how he's been defying stereotypes in the sport. The 22-year-old also talks about his never-ending search for improvement, and why he needed a "smack" in his face.
Alpine Skiing
Painted fingernails, stylish outfits, and ever-changing looks: Lucas Pinheiro Braathen doesn’t match the conventional image of an alpine skier.
The Norwegian talent is also well aware that his eccentricity and charisma are sometimes frowned upon in an environment that can often be traditional and conservative.
“Not everyone loves it, that's for sure. Yeah, you’re kind of in there alone. It's a lonely road, but I enjoy it,” the 22-year-old from the renowned Baerums Ski Club said in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com during a media event organised by his sponsor Atomic.
However, Braathen is not afraid to express his personality and is ready to stand up to his critics.
“For everyone that comes and questions me, and has their negative thoughts about [my lifestyle], and their destructive views on it, I'm happy to be a person that's challenging them, and then having that conversation, and just encouraging people to do what they want rather than what people expect of them, because that's never going to bring in your happiness.
“And for me, it's just me doing me and expressing my thoughts and my mood and my vibe and my perspective, that makes me happy. So whether you like it or not, [it's] not really my concern man.”
Lucas Braathen: Fashion, music, tattoos
Braathen, whose mother Alessandra Pinheiro de Castro is Brazilian, is always looking for new experiences and enjoys showcasing his creative side.
During his free time, the Attacking Vikings star likes to travel to European capitals like Paris and London in order to see the latest fashion trends. Music is another of his passions and he performed as a special guest DJ at several events in 2022.
The alpine prodigy is also fascinated by foreign cultures. He has several tattoos, including one on the side of his torso depicting a broken vase which was inspired by the kintsugi philosophy from Japan that centres around repairing broken items.
His latest ink work on his right arm is a taniwha, a spiritual guardian from the Maori mythology: “It symbolises strength and he takes care of you. It’s protecting me. When I'm sleeping, his eyes are always open,” he said describing the intricate pattern of circles, “It’s the circle of life: what goes around comes around. How you treat people is how we can expect to be treated back.”
The design also includes his DNA thread, three waves: “It's me, my first sister Nicoline, and my other sister Matilde,” and two lines representing his skis, “It’s also looking after me when I'm skiing and doing what I love the most.”
Lucas Braathen: A never-ending search for improvement
Trying to learn new things and striving to improve are among the reasons behind his early success.
At 22, Braathen has already collected five FIS World Cup career wins, and finished the past season in fourth place in both the men's slalom and giant slalom rankings.
“I want to integrate all my new experiences both inside and outside the sport into my professional life as an athlete, and dare to progress and do radical changes, and do those changes that I think are scary to do,” he explained.
“I think the one source or one key to failure is to not dare with change, not to dare doing those radical changes and things that need to progress with the new generation and the new equipment and the new way of skiing. Because that was the thing that got me to the point I am today.
“So it's just like this endless journey to progress and I'm not going to stop at this level I'm at now, just because I'm doing good results. I'm going to keep progressing and keep becoming a better version of myself so I can keep those top positions coming and even make them even more consecutive on the top threes.”
“There's always a better version of yourself out there. You need to adapt at all times because we're living in such a progressive world. Everyone's progressing at all times. So if you've got your success yesterday but you're not changing well, you're not winning that race tomorrow.” – Lucas Braathen
Lucas Braathen: Choosing my own path to success
The tech specialist says that another factor behind his impressive results (already three wins during this campaign) is having been able to choose his own “path to success.”
One of the Norwegian's main beliefs is that you should never blindly trust the system around you, but instead listen to yourself and your own opinions.
“You're going to have people – coaches, parents, teammates, press - thinking how you can become the best in the world in something. Guess what, man? That's not the case,” Braathen told us.
“Your choices and your path to success is something completely different to the other guy. My way of achieving success is very different to the guy that's standing beside me on the podium.
“I'm a social guy. I thrive off that. I thrive off experiences outside of skiing and other things that I'm so privileged to get to experience as a skier. Others just love skiing more than anything else, so they ski and they sleep, and that's a day for them. That's not my success.
“And I'm not saying don't listen to the people around you. Listen, but don't just blindly trust people just because this is a well-respected coach. At the end of the day, you're the one winning the race or creating your success in your career, whatever that may be.”
Lucas Braathen: Bouncing back from Beijing disappointment
This strong mentality helped Braathen cope with the disappointment of his Winter Olympic debut at Beijing 2022, where he failed to finish both races he had entered.
“I needed a smack in my face to wake up a little, a reality check,” he admitted.
“I learned a lesson that allowed me to be right back on track when then I entered the World Cup again.”
And what was that lesson?
“That you're just as good as you were yesterday. You're never any better or worse than you were yesterday on the hill,” he continued.
“It's about never being pleased and okay with your level at that point. There's always a next step. There's always a next move. There's always progress to be made. There's always a better version of yourself out there.
“So it's not accepting, and just trusting what you have achieved. It's simply taking those impressions and experiences into becoming a better version of yourself the next day.”