Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen made history on February 14, 2026, by winning a gold medal in the men's giant slalom at the Winter Olympics in Bormio, Italy, marking South America's first-ever Winter Olympics medal, according to NPR Politics. The same day, Magnus Carlsen of Norway secured his 21st world title by winning the inaugural 2026 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in Weissenhaus, Germany, defeating Fabiano Caruana of the USA, as reported by Hacker News. Meanwhile, the 41st Independent Spirit Awards were underway, hosted by "Saturday Night Live" alum Ego Nwodim, as noted by Variety.
Braathen's victory was met with exuberant celebrations, including samba dancing, as he reflected on the significance of his achievement. The event saw Switzerland's Marco Odermatt take silver and Loic Meillard bronze. The competition took place at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
In the world of speedskating, the Dutch fans at the Olympic venue in Milan were hoping for a specific outcome in the women's 500-meter race, according to Time. They were hoping for Jutta Leerdam to finish second, as her teammate, Femke Kok, was considered a strong contender for the gold. Leerdam, who had already broken the Olympic record in the 1000 meters on February 9, is engaged to social media influencer-slash-boxer Jake Paul.
In Japan, Takaichi, the first woman to lead the country after decades of male leadership, celebrated a record-breaking election victory last week, according to Time. She led her party to win 316 of the 465 seats in the lower house of Japan's parliament. She is keen to revise the country's pacifist constitution and rebuild its military.
The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov secure third place and qualification for the 2027 championship, according to Hacker News. The tournament was the first official FIDE-recognized Freestyle Chess event.
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