Eileen Gu becomes the most decorated Olympic freestyle skier of all time
The 22-year-old skier defended her halfpipe gold and made Olympics history in Milan
Eileen Gu earned gold for her freeski halfpipe performance with a score of 94.75.
NBC Sports
Words by Helen Li
On Sunday, the last day of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Eileen Gu stood atop the podium once more, mouthing the words to the Chinese national anthem, a golden ribbon in her hair. She raised her hand high with a gold medal in hand.
Gu completed a 12.5-foot 900 Buick and other moves such as a switch 900 and back-to-back alley-oop flat 500s on her second run and finished with a score of 94.75 in her third run. The score beat out teammate Li Fanghui’s 93.00 and Britain’s Malaysian American Zoe Atkin’s 92.50. Canada’s Cassie Sharpe placed third in qualifying but suffered a severe concussion and withdrew from the finals, which were postponed due to heavy snow.
Winning her third medal at the Milan Olympics in the women’s halfpipe freestyle ski finals, the 22-year old defended her title from Beijing. With six Olympic medals, one in each discipline she has entered, she becomes the most decorated Olympic freestyle skier, man or woman, of all time. It’s a record that Gu says is “a testament to competitive strength” and “mental strength.”
“It’s being able to perform under pressure, it has nothing to (do with) if you’re a boy or a girl,” she said.
Gu has been the subject of news reports about her government-funded training and online hate comments and controversy again in the past few weeks, including comments from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, specifically surrounding her decision to compete for her mother’s birth country China.
“So many athletes compete for a different country,” Gu said at the press conference after qualifying. “People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really about what they think it’s about.”
The Bay Area-born Stanford college student and fashion model formally switched her representation in June 2019, saying that she hopes to inspire other young women to take up skiing in the country of 1.4 billion. And the “Gu Effect” is real: the Chinese government announced that 313 million people had taken up ice and snow sports since the 2022 Olympics, where Gu won two golds and one silver.
“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 honored and proud that I have,” she said. The TIME, Vogue, and Sports Swimsuit Illustrated cover recipient has also been able to exert her influence in the athletics and fashion worlds, designing a custom Chinese porcelain-inspired competition outfit specifically for these games.
Just days ago, a reporter asked Gu if she felt that her accomplishment was “two silvers gained or two golds lost.”
Gu laughed.
“I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that’s an answer in and of itself,” said Gu. “How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder.”
Gu also found out that her grandmother, Feng Guozhen, whom Eileen has shared is her role model and has been featured in documentaries about Gu’s life, had passed away moments after she won gold.
“I think what’s so interesting is that a lot of people just cruise through life. But [my grandmother] 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,” Gu said at the press conference, fighting tears. “I didn’t promise that I was going to win, but I promised her that I was going to be brave.”
Gu plans to return to Stanford in the fall as a junior.
Published on February 25, 2026
Words by Helen Li
Helen Li is a journalist and fact-checker based in Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Rest of World, Semafor, and Business Insider. In her free time, she appreciates a good hike, watches NCAA gymnastics, and occasionally dives into Reddit rabbit holes where she finds fascinating stories. She also just completed her first women's rugby 15s season. You can reach her on Signal @hliwrites.99.