Olympic champion Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil posted the fastest time in the first run of the men's World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on March 7, 2026. He holds a slim 0.14-second lead over Austria's Stefan Brennsteiner, with Switzerland's Loïc Meillard in third. Marco Odermatt, the Swiss leader in the standings, finished fifth, 0.92 seconds behind.
The event took place under sunny conditions with temperatures at 4 Celsius (39 Fahrenheit). Pinheiro Braathen's performance comes after his historic Olympic gold medal win for Brazil last month, which relegated Odermatt to silver in that competition. As the closest challenger to Odermatt in the season-long giant slalom standings, Pinheiro Braathen started the day trailing by 103 points with two races remaining.
Odermatt, a 28-year-old Swiss skier, drew the No. 1 start bib and benefited from the best snow conditions but could only manage fifth place. A victory in the second run would award Pinheiro Braathen 100 points, while Odermatt's current position nets him 45 points, leaving Odermatt with a 48-point lead heading into the final giant slalom race on March 25 at Hafjell, Norway.
Odermatt has already secured his fifth consecutive overall World Cup title, holding a commanding 687-point lead over Pinheiro Braathen. His rivals lack participation in enough disciplines to challenge that margin over the remaining 2½ weeks of the season.
Other notable performers included Olympic bronze medalist Loïc Meillard, who sits 0.35 seconds off the pace and will aim to close the gap in the afternoon run. The race highlights the tight competition in giant slalom as the season nears its end.
