LIVIGNO, Italy – Eileen Gu made Olympic history in spectacular fashion, earning three medals that propelled China past the United States in freestyle skiing dominance at the Milano Cortina Games.
The 22-year-old athlete secured one gold and two silver medals through breathtaking aerial maneuvers in the Italian Alpine resort town, establishing herself as the most accomplished freestyle skier in Olympic history.
Gu, who was born in America but competes for China in honor of her mother’s heritage, entered these games with three previous Olympic medals. Her latest achievements brought China’s freestyle skiing medal total to nine, surpassing America’s count of eight.
The competition showcased unprecedented athleticism, with skiers executing more complex aerial tricks and achieving greater heights than ever witnessed before. Judges evaluate performances based on both technical execution and innovative creativity.
Norway’s Tormod Frostad exemplified this elevated standard in big air competition, earning an exceptional score of 195.5 out of a possible 200 points.
“Year after year we get to see the progression of a sport as the average of everybody rises,” Gu said.
“We all get better, and maybe the people at the top are contributing a little bit more, but everybody is contributing to that growth.”
China’s strength extended beyond Gu’s individual success, particularly in aerials competition. The married duo of Wang Xindi and Xu Mengtao claimed gold medals in their respective women’s and men’s aerial events.
Despite their dominance, China fell short of sweeping all aerial competitions when the United States successfully defended their mixed team aerials championship.
Canadian veteran Mikael Kingsbury provided another highlight, competing in his fourth and final Olympics at age 33. The moguls specialist earned silver in men’s competition and gold in the newly-added dual moguls event, cementing his status as freestyle skiing’s most decorated male athlete with his collection spanning multiple Winter Games.
American Alex Ferreira also completed his medal set, adding halfpipe gold to his previous bronze and silver medals from earlier Olympics.
