The Portuguese Emeric Guerillot finished this Saturday in 38th place in the giant slalom of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympicsin a race held on the Stelvio track, in Bormio, and which was marked by the historic gold medal won by the Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen.
At 18 years old, the Portuguese skier once again gave a positive response among the world’s alpine skiing elite, after already reaching 32nd place in the Super G, a result that equaled Portugal’s best classification in the sport at the Olympic Games.. In the giant slalom, Guerillot played the first heat in 1.22.87 minutes, which gave him 42nd provisional time. On the second descent, starting with number 57, he improved significantly, completing the route in 1.16.58 minutes, moving up positions and setting the total record at 2.39.45, 14.45 seconds behind the Olympic champion.
The race had 81 athletes at the start, of which 69 completed both heats. The podium was completed by the Swiss Marco Odermattsilver medal with 2.25.58 minutes, and Loïc Meillardbronze with 2.26,17. Braathen, 25, secured Brazil’s first gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games by clocking 2.25.00 minutes, after an almost perfect first heat (1.13.92) and a solid second run (1.11.08). Son of a Norwegian father and Brazilian mother, the skier previously represented Norway, but started competing for Brazil in 2024.
In statements cited by the Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP), Emeric Guerillot was satisfied with the performance. “Today was a really good day for me. In the first heat, I managed to do my skiing and I wasn’t too far away. In terms of position, I was really happy. Mainly because I beat some athletes who are quite strong and who are normally stronger than me at this level”, he stated.
The young man also highlighted the quality of the second heat and the significance of the result obtained in a discipline that is not his favorite. “In the second heat, then yes, I really skied very well, I managed to do my skiing. I’m very happy with what I did. And in the end, in terms of classification, I was really well placed: 38th place, when I had started with number 57 in the first heat. So I’m really super happy. It is a consecration for me to achieve this result in giant slalom, which is not even my favorite subject or the one in which I am strongest. The track was quite difficult, quite long, but I managed to do quite well and I hope to repeat that in the slalom.”
Guerillot will now compete again on Monday, in the slalom event, thus ending his individual participation in these Games, in an edition in which he confirmed the progression of Portuguese alpine skiing to the highest competitive level.
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