fbpx
Skip to main content

Eileen Gu makes freestyle skiing history at Beijing Games

Feb 18, 2022; Zhangjiakou, China;  Ailing Eileen Gu (CHN) gold reacts after winning in the Freestyle Skiing Womens Halfpipe Final during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Genting Snow Park. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2022; Zhangjiakou, China; Ailing Eileen Gu (CHN) gold reacts after winning in the Freestyle Skiing Womens Halfpipe Final during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Genting Snow Park. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Eileen Gu won her second gold medal and third overall in the Beijing Olympics on Friday, and she made history along the way.

The 18-year-old Gu, representing China, became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at one Olympics with her victory in the halfpipe final. She won gold in the big air event last week and a silver medal in slopestyle on Tuesday.

Her second-run score of 95.25 sealed the gold medal. Canadians Cassie Sharpe won the silver medal and Rachael Karker the bronze.

A native of San Francisco, Gu competes for her mother’s home country of China. Her grandmother was in the crowd at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, seeing her granddaughter compete for the first time.

“Just like this all coming together, years and years in the making and it’s like letting out a deep breath,” Gu said. “I feel exhausted. I mean, God, from opening ceremony until now I’ve been skiing every single day so I’m really tired, but I feel at peace. I feel grateful. I feel passionate, and I feel proud.”

Two days of competition remain in Beijing. The medals leaders:

Norway: 34 (15 gold, 8 silver, 11 bronze)
Russian Olympic Committee: 27 (5 gold, 9 silver, 13 bronze)
Canada: 24 (4 gold, 7 silver, 13 bronze)
Germany: 22 (10 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze)
United States: 21 (8 gold, 8 silver, 5 bronze)
Austria: 17 (6 gold, 7 silver, 4 bronze)
Japan: 17 (3 gold, 5 silver, 9 bronze)
Sweden: 16 (7 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze)
Netherlands: 16 (7 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze)
Italy: 16 (2 gold, 7 silver, 7 bronze)

–Field Level Media

Mentioned in this article:

More About: