Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the men's giant slalom in Bormio on Saturday to take South America's first ever gold at a Winter Olympics.

The Norwegian-born Braathen was fastest in the first leg in snowy Bormio and kept his cool in the second to win with an aggregate time of 2 mins 25 seconds.

Only Switzerland's Marco Odermatt came anywhere near him in the first run, claiming his second silver medal of the Milan-Cortina Games by finishing 0.58 seconds behind overall. Odermatt's Swiss teammate Loic Meillard rounded out the podium.

Braathen, 25, had switched allegiance to his mother's homeland after falling out with the Norwegian ski federation.

His victory broke the mould in more ways than one – in the testosterone-filled world of alpine skiing, he is a regular at fashion weeks in Paris and Milan and has launched his own skincare range, leading to accusations he is "too feminine in a very masculine sport".

"I just wanted to ski as the person I am. I know I can be the best in the world, if I do that to the greatest extent," he said after clinching gold. (AFP)