What Lucas Braathen told an excited ski world in Sölden today cannot be described as anything other than pure shock. At the same time, it is the most powerful settlement with a confederation Norwegian sports has experienced. Including teammate, sorry former teammate, Henrik Kristoffersen’s lawsuit against the same association in 2019. The communication over three years between the Ski Association and its athletes has obviously been so poor and discouraging that in the end it took away all the joy of skiing. TOOK TO TEARS: Lucas Braathen during Friday’s press conference in Sölden. Photo: AP Stopped by SMS He branded the Ski Association’s behavior towards himself and the others who have wanted improved agreements as both “provocative” as well as “dirty” and “disrespectful”. To the extent that a 23-year-old alpine star with his sights set further upwards on the sky – and only there – took the most radical step a top athlete can take within his universe: He quit. And perhaps the manner in which the Ski Association conveyed the news symbolizes more than anything else how far into the infantile this process has ended. At the end of the press conference, father Bjørn Braathen said that he had tried to call the head of sports for alpine skiing, Claus Ryste, in the morning to convey the dramatic message. Ryste had not replied, so father Braathen had sent him an SMS that his son was quitting. No more SMS, that is. Taylor Swift could very well write a song about this day. In Bjørnson’s spirit With that, Norway has lost a future world leader. The Ski Association has lost its most attractive sponsor for the next 10 years. While Lucas Braathen himself is doing something he believes is much more important – he is doing well. For the first time in six months, he thought to himself. Now a life without skis and sponsor clothes awaits Braathen. And at the same time a life in Bjørnson’s spirit. The national poet with the first name Bjørnstjerne wrote the famous story about “A happy boy” as early as 1860. AN ALPINTESS: Lucas Braathen during a World Cup race in Kitzbühel in 2022. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news There Bjørnson actually pointed out the direction for Braathen 163 years later: “Lift up your head, you swift boy! If a hope or two were dashed, a new one flashes in your eye, immediately it takes on the shine of the high!” Lucas Braathen outwardly has had the shine for a long time. Since he broke through five years ago, he has always seemed extremely aware of his difference as a top alpinist, sometimes bordering on purely posing. Now the 23-year-old from Hokksund has shown that it was actually real. The top sport and what it brings with it in terms of financial gains when you are at the absolute top of the world was not the most important thing. Even more attractive But Lucas Braathen suffers no hardship anyway. A top athlete who thinks it is more important to count happy days than the number of World Cup wins will for a long time be particularly attractive to a market that loves value-based sales objects. On the same day that he sets up, he symbolically adorns the cover of Aftenposten’s A-magazine, as the alpinist who “defies all advice as to what he should do”. This day was no exception. But the only one Braathen listened to was himself. O jogo bonito Speculation had been running hot for the past 24 hours about how far Braathen would go in his criticism of the union at today’s press conference. What could justify putting himself in such a special position from the other Norwegian alpine stars. Seeing that he arrived without the much talked about national team clothes, the first thought was that he would break with the national team. THANKS FOR HIMSELF: Lucas Braathen resigns after a long conflict with the Norwegian Ski Association. Photo: ALBERT GEA / Reuters It turned out to be true. After a tumultuous introduction, with references to his mother’s homeland, Brazil, and their cultivation of “joga bonito”, the beautiful game they call soccer. The inspiration from Ronaldo and Ronaldinho was to stay with a young Braathen until he himself broke through. The Pact He also talked about his three basic values in life. The desire to be the best in the world. The desire to make a difference. And to be happy as many days as possible in the year. He called it a “pact” he had made with himself. He then spoke in detail about the experience of negotiating with the Skiing Association over three years and the controversies surrounding his agreement with the Swedish clothing brand J. Lindeberg. Before he approached the moment no one knew would come. The moment that will stand as a turning point for Norwegian skiing. The moment that will force a new world on a management that is excessively in love with how they have been able to act in the past. WINNER OF THE SLALOAM BALL: Lucas Braathen won the World Cup in Slalom last year. Photo: AFP “I’m done”. Everyone gasped. Only Lucas Braathen smiled. A completely different world Therefore, there was never a new national team agreement that included Lucas Braathen either. After the process around this took away so much joy from him that he stopped altogether. Now the pressure on the Ski Association is only getting much greater to reach an agreement that satisfies the athletes – and not least the association’s own legislative committee. Perhaps a national team pact is simply needed, where the athletes feel to a much greater extent that they are heard to change their decision. Maybe one day it can get Lucas Braathen back on skis too. In that case, it must be “a completely different world”, as he put it. RECEIVED NOTICE OF FIN: Lucas Braathen received notice of a fine from the Skiing Association after he appeared in an advertising campaign for J.Lindeberg. A world where Lucas Braathen and others like him can walk around in exactly the clothes they want when they are not skiing. I think a whole skin nation is crossing its fingers that that day will come. The next Winter Olympics will take place in 2026 in Italy. Two cities share the event. The alpine resort Cortina is one. The other is Milan, also known as the fashion capital of the world. Perhaps the combination is so alluring that it can also bring back the smile of alpinist Lucas Braathen.
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A happy boy – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
