Eileen Gu, the American-born freeskier who competes for China, has won her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the women’s halfpipe. After pulling out on her first run, Gu bounced back with a 94.00 in Run 2 and a 94.75 in Run 3.
Both were good enough for gold.
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China took the first two spots on the podium, with Gu’s teammate Li Fanghui earning silver with a 93.00 on her third run.
Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin, Gu’s classmate at Stanford, was on top after her first run, but couldn’t recover from missing a landing on her second, despite getting the most amplitude on her jumps among the competitors in the field.
She scored a 92.50 on her third run to finish behind Gu and Fanghui after placing first during qualifying.
Gu, 22, has earned six medals across two Winter Olympic Games, making her the most accomplished freestyle skier in Olympic history.
“Being able to lead the way and pioneer the sport is something I never imagined I’d be able to do,” Gu said after the halfpipe final. “But I’m really honored and proud that I have.”
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In Milan Cortina, her gold in the halfpipe joins the silver medals she earned in slopestyle and big air. She was the only freestyle skier to compete in all three events, let alone earn medals in each of them. At the 2022 Beijing Games, Gu took gold in Halfpipe and big air, along with silver in slopestyle.
“The reason I love the records so much is that it’s not about man or woman,” Gu added. “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.”
Beginning her Olympic career at such a young age, it appears more than likely that Gu will add to her impressive medal total in four years at the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.
Gu has also become a controversial figure over her choice to represent China, where her mother was born, despite herself being born in San Francisco. Being an accomplished athlete and photogenic star in both countries has allowed her to make millions of dollars, reportedly $23.1 million in 2025.
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Team USA’s Kate Gray (66.50) and Svea Irving (22.50) finished 10th and 11th, respectively, in the competition. Irving landed hard on her right hip on her first run and did not complete her third.
Sunday’s event was delayed from Saturday due to heavy snow making the halfpipe course unsafe for competition.
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