No dream Winter Olympics debut for Singapore alpine skier Faiz Basha after fall in giant slalom

SINGAPORE: Singapore alpine skier Faiz Basha registered a DNF (did not finish) on his Winter Olympics debut on Saturday (Feb 14).

In the first run of the men’s giant slalom at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy, the 23-year-old lost a ski while trying to round a gate, causing him to skid out. He did not compete in the event's second run as a result of not finishing the first.

Brazil’s Norway-born Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the event, with Switzerland's Marco Odermatt and Loic Meillard taking silver and bronze respectively.

A total of 81 athletes competed in the giant slalom, with seven other athletes besides Faiz registering DNFs in the first run.

In alpine skiing, athletes move downhill between gates, with the giant slalom having a wider distance between these gates as compared to the slalom event. Skiiers compete in two time trials, with the individual with the fastest total time crowned the winner.

In the first run, Pinheiro Braathen, the first competitor to take to the slope, registered a commanding lead as his other competitors struggled to get to grips with the race course.

In the second run later in the afternoon, the Brazilian would not hit the same heights, but his 0.95-second lead was enough to hold off all challengers and seal Brazil's first Winter Olympics gold.

No athlete representing a South American country has ever won a Winter Olympics medal in any sport.

Faiz is Singapore’s second athlete ever at the Winter Olympics, after short track speed skater Cheyenne Goh, who participated in the 2018 edition.

In January last year, the Singaporean met the qualifying mark for the slalom event, and did so for the giant slalom event in recent months.

He was the top-ranked Southeast Asian athlete (12th) at the 2025 Asian