Carnival Monday belonged to Lucas Pinheiro Braathen — again. Two days after winning Brazil’s historic first Winter Olympic gold in the giant slalom, the 25-year-old attacked the men’s slalom on the Stelvio in pursuit of a double. Whether or not he reached the podium, his mere presence as a medal contender in a second discipline has cemented his place as the defining figure of these Games for Latin America. In Rio, Fluminense dispatched Bangu at the Maracanã to complete the Carioca semifinal bracket, setting up a blockbuster Vasco–Fluminense semi. And across the hemisphere, the World Baseball Classic countdown hit 16 days with spring training exhibitions ramping up and all 20 rosters now finalised. The final week of the Milano Cortina Olympics has begun — and so has the biggest month on Latin America’s sporting calendar.
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Monday Scoreboard — 16 February 2026
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All results verified against official sources
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Competition
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Result
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Note
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Olympics — Men’s Slalom
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Braathen (BRA) competed
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Final men’s Alpine event; see Card 1
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Olympics — Monobob Final
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Nolte (GER) led after Day 1
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Heats 3 & 4 decided medal
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Olympics — Pairs Figure Skating
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Free skate final
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Hase/Volodin (GER) led after short
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Olympics — Freeski Big Air W
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Final held at Livigno
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Gu, Gremaud, Oldham contested
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Olympics — Ski Jumping Super Team
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Inaugural event
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New Olympic format debut
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Olympics — Women’s Hockey SF
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USA vs Sweden; CAN vs Switzerland
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Gold-medal game set for Wed
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Carioca — Quarterfinal
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Fluminense vs Bangu (21:00 BRT)
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Maracanã; winner faces Vasco
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Paulistão — QF Draw
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Quarterfinals confirmed for Feb 21–22
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Single-elimination; see Card 4
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01Braathen Goes for Double Gold in Olympic Slalom
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Olympics
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\nBrazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen returned to the Stelvio on Monday for the men’s slalom, hoping to become the first Brazilian athlete to win two Winter Olympic medals. Just 48 hours after his giant slalom gold rewrote the history books — delivering South America’s first-ever Winter Games medal — the 25-year-old lined up against defending champion Clément Noël of France and World Cup slalom leader Atle Lie McGrath of Norway, his childhood friend and former teammate. Braathen entered the race ranked second in the World Cup slalom standings, just one point behind McGrath, making him a legitimate podium contender. The slalom is traditionally the most unpredictable Alpine event, with DNFs common on the technical Stelvio course. Regardless of the result, Braathen’s campaign at these Games has been transformational for Brazilian and Latin American winter sport.
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LATAM ANGLE Brazil had competed in 26 editions of the Winter Olympics over 102 years without a medal before Braathen’s giant slalom gold on Saturday. His closest predecessor was snowboarder Isabel Clark Ribeiro, who placed ninth at Turin 2006.
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\nLatin America Sports Daily for Monday, February 16, 2026.
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02Monobob, Pairs, and Big Air — Day 10 Medal Highlights
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Olympics
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\nDay 10 at Milano Cortina delivered six medal events across a packed programme as the Games entered their final week. The women’s monobob concluded with the final two heats at the Cortina Sliding Centre, where Germany’s Laura Nolte led after Day 1 with a combined time of 1:59.12, ahead of Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and defending champion Kaillie Humphries. In figure skating, the pairs free skate decided the gold at the Milano Ice Skating Arena — Germany’s Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin held a commanding five-point lead over Georgia’s Metelkina/Berulava after Sunday’s short programme. The women’s freeski Big Air final at Livigno Snow Park brought together slopestyle champion Mathilde Gremaud (Switzerland), defending Big Air champion Eileen Gu (China), and qualification leader Megan Oldham (Canada). The inaugural men’s ski jumping super team event also made its Olympic debut. Norway continued to lead the overall medal table heading into the final stretch.
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KEY STAT With the Games entering their final six days, 74 of 116 medal events have been completed. Norway led the table after Day 9 with 26 medals (12 gold), followed by Italy with 22 (8 gold) and the USA with 17 (5 gold).
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03Women’s Hockey Semis — USA and Canada Eye Gold-Medal Clash
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Olympics
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\nThe women’s ice hockey semifinals were played on Monday, with the United States taking on Sweden and Canada facing Switzerland. A USA–Canada gold-medal game has been the norm at the last four Winter Olympics, with Canada winning three of those four finals. The Americans’ lone recent triumph came at PyeongChang 2018. With NHL players returning to the men’s tournament for the first time since 2014 — and the men’s qualification round beginning on Tuesday — Olympic hockey has recaptured global attention. The women’s gold-medal game is set for Wednesday, with the bronze-medal match the same day.
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LATAM ANGLE No Latin American nation fields a women’s hockey team at the Olympics, but the tournament’s growing visibility has sparked grassroots interest — Mexico and Brazil both have developing women’s hockey programmes with eyes on future qualifications.
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04Paulistão Quarterfinals Set for Feb 21–22 — No Clássicos
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Football
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\nThe Paulistão quarterfinals are locked in for the weekend of February 21–22, with exact times and venues still to be confirmed by the FPF. The confirmed matchups: league leaders Novorizontino host Santos (who enter on the back of Sunday’s 6–0 demolition of Velo Clube and Neymar’s return); vice-leaders Palmeiras face surprise qualifiers Capivariano; third-placed RB Bragantino (the only unbeaten team) welcome São Paulo; and Portuguesa take on Corinthians. The bracket’s structure means none of São Paulo’s big four will face each other until the semifinals at the earliest. All quarterfinals are single-elimination, with penalties deciding drawn matches. The semis follow on March 1, with the final scheduled for March 4 and 8 over two legs. Relegated: Ponte Preta and Velo Clube drop to the Série A2 for 2027. Notable absence: Mirassol, a Série A club, failed to qualify.
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CONTEXT The Paulistão’s Champions League-inspired format and compressed calendar — just 11 matchdays total — has kept every knockout fixture razor-tight. Semi-automated offside technology will be introduced from the quarterfinals onward.
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05Fluminense Face Bangu to Complete Carioca Semifinal Picture
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Football
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\nFluminense, champions of the Taça Guanabara (the Carioca group phase), hosted Bangu at the Maracanã on Monday night in the final quarterfinal of the 2026 Campeonato Carioca (21:00 BRT). Luis Zubeldía’s side entered as overwhelming favourites, having won 90% of their last ten meetings against Bangu and boasting seven wins from nine matches across all competitions in 2026. Ganso and Savarino competed for a starting role behind striker John Kennedy, while Serna and Canobbio provided width. Bangu, fourth in Group B, arrived as the clear underdogs, relying on their front three of Lucas Sibito, Patryck Ferreira, and Luizinho. The winner advances to the Carioca semifinals against Vasco, who eliminated Volta Redonda on penalties on Saturday. If Fluminense advanced, the semi would be a repeat of last year’s Copa do Brasil semifinal — and a Carnival-week Rio derby for the ages.
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CONTEXT The Carioca semifinal pairings: Flamengo vs Madureira and the Vasco vs Fluminense/Bangu winner. Semis are two-legged, raising the stakes considerably.
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06Madureira Beat Boavista to Reach Carioca Semis
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Football
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\nIn the first Carioca quarterfinal played last Friday, Madureira beat Boavista 2–1 at the Conselheiro Galvão to become the first semifinalist of the 2026 edition. Geovane Maranhão opened the scoring for Madureira late in the first half after Rodrigo Lindoso had earlier missed a penalty. Brunão equalised from the spot for Boavista just before the break, but Lindoso made amends by netting the winner in the 63rd minute. Madureira now face Flamengo in the semifinals — a daunting prospect given Filipe Luís’s side dispatched Botafogo 2–1 on Sunday. Boavista drop to the Taça Rio consolation bracket alongside the three other quarterfinal losers.
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KEY STAT Madureira have now qualified for the Carioca semifinals in consecutive seasons despite being one of the tournament’s smallest clubs. Their reward: a two-leg semifinal against Carnival Sunday heroes Flamengo.
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07Neymar Watch — What’s Next After Santos’ 6–0 Carnival Blitz
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Football
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\nThe afterglow of Santos’ 6–0 demolition of Velo Clube on Carnival Sunday continued to dominate Brazilian football conversation on Monday. Neymar’s half-time introduction for his 2026 debut generated standing ovations at Vila Belmiro, and while his 45-minute cameo didn’t produce a goal, his incisive passing and movement showed he is nearing match fitness after knee surgery. Gabigol’s two-goal, one-assist masterclass was the real headline, with Gabriel Menino’s stunning long-range strike also going viral. Santos finished eighth in the first phase with 12 points and now face a daunting quarterfinal trip to league leaders Novorizontino on February 21 or 22. Manager expectations are rising: can Santos ride the Neymar-Gabigol momentum deep into the knockout rounds?
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KEY STAT Santos scored six goals for the first time in 2026 and had a seventh disallowed. Neymar’s return — his first competitive appearance since returning to Santos — makes them arguably the most dangerous eighth seed in recent Paulistão history.
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08WBC Countdown — 16 Days, Rosters Stacked, Stage Set
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Baseball
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\nWith 16 days until first pitch at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the spotlight has shifted from roster reveals to preparation. All 20 rosters were officially unveiled last week on MLB Network, and the Latin American contingent is stacked. Venezuela’s squad features Ronald Acuña Jr. and Jackson Chourio alongside Salvador Pérez and will compete in Pool D in Miami. The Dominican Republic, managed by Albert Pujols, boasts Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Manny Machado in what many consider the deepest lineup in tournament history. Cuba features 44-year-old Alexei Ramírez, who will be the oldest player ever to appear in a WBC game. Team USA — led by Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, and Tarik Skubal — is the consensus favourite, but the talent across Latin American rosters means every pool is loaded. Brazil returns to the WBC for the first time since 2013 in Pool B in Houston, facing the USA, Mexico, Italy, and Great Britain.
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KEY STAT The top two finishers from the Americas qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics baseball tournament. With six Latin American nations in the field, the stakes extend far beyond the WBC trophy.
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09Braathen’s Giant Slalom Gold — The Numbers Behind the Miracle
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Olympics
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\nAs the glow of Braathen’s giant slalom triumph continued to resonate, the remarkable statistics behind his victory came into sharper focus. His winning time of 2:25.00 came with a 0.95-second advantage after Run 1 — a massive margin in elite slalom racing — before he managed his lead in Run 2 to finish 0.58 seconds ahead of Marco Odermatt. It was Brazil’s first medal in 102 years and 26 editions of Winter Olympic participation. Braathen became only the second non-European giant slalom Olympic champion, after American Ted Ligety at Sochi 2014. Born in Oslo to a Norwegian father and Brazilian mother, he competed for Norway before a shock retirement in 2023, then returned five months later representing Brazil. During Carnival week, Casa Brasil in Milan erupted as samba music played over the PA system. Odermatt’s reaction was diplomatic but pointed, while McGrath, Braathen’s childhood friend, simply called himself “really proud.”
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LATAM ANGLE Brazil’s Olympic Committee called it a “watershed moment for winter sport in the southern hemisphere.” Only Australia (1994, 2002) and New Zealand (1992, 2018, 2022) had previously won Winter medals from the southern hemisphere.
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10Looking Ahead — Tuesday 17 February
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Preview
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OLYMPICS
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Day 11 in Milano Cortina: men’s ice hockey qualification round begins. Events include 2-man bobsled heats 1–2, men’s freeski Big Air final, and women’s curling round-robin continues. The final week of competition is fully under way.
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CARIOCA
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Semifinal draw and scheduling expected after the Fluminense–Bangu result. Flamengo vs Madureira already confirmed. Taça Rio bracket also takes shape for eliminated teams.
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WBC
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Spring training exhibitions continue across MLB camps. Latin American squads finalising preparation schedules. Japan to play send-off games in Miyazaki. Countdown: 16 days.
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COPA DO BRASIL
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First-round ties beginning this week. Madureira travel to Boa Vista to face Baré on Tuesday in their Copa do Brasil opener.
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All times are local. Check local listings.
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End of briefing
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\nCompiled by Oliver Mason — all results verified against official sources and wire reporting.
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This is part of The Rio Times’ comprehensive coverage of sports news across Brazil and Latin America.
