Freestyle skiing superstar Eileen Gu got gold at last at the Milan/Cortina Games when the Chinese overcame a fall to dominate the halfpipe competition on the closing day Sunday.
Coming off Big Air and slopestyle silvers, Gu fell in her first run but then showed her class in the second and third where she was a class apart and got gold with 94.75 points.
Advertisement
Silver also went to China in the form of Li Fanghui, who tallied 93.50 points. World champion Zoe Atkin of Britain earned bronze with 92.50.
US-born Gu, 22, earned back to back golds in the discipline and now has six Olympic medals overall, thee gold and three silver, to be the best skier ever at the Games.
“The reason I love the records so much is that it’s not about man or woman. I’m the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female.
“I have the most gold medals ever, male or female. That’s a testament to competitive strength, it’s mental strength. It’s being able to perform under pressure, it has nothing to (do with) if you’re a boy or a girl.
Advertisement
“Being able to lead the way and pioneer the sport is something I never imagined I’d be able to do but I’m really honoured and proud that I have.”
Gu, however, received some sad news after the competition as she learned that her grandmother Feng Guozhen had passed away.
The Chinese skier apologized for being late to her press conference and revealed that she received the news shortly after competing.
“The reason I was late is that I just found out that my grandma passed away. She was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely,” Gu said while in tears.
Advertisement
“She was a fighter. And I think what’s so interesting is that a lot of people just cruise through life, but she was a steamship. This woman commanded life, and she grabbed it by the reins, and she made it into what she wanted it to be. And she inspired me so much,” she added in an emotional tribute.
Atkin meanwhile emulated her sister, Isabel Atkin, who won slopestyle bronze in 2018, after leading qualifying and the first of three runs in the final.
“To back her up eight years later with bronze means so much. I’ve been thinking about this for so long. To finally watch it come to fruition and have a medal around my neck means so much,” she said.
Looking at her last run which was her best, she said: “It’s not exactly the run I wanted to do, but I’m stoked I was able to put it down under pressure.”
The competition was originally scheduled for Saturday, but pushed back due to adverse weather.
