Eileen Gu defended her Olympic ski halfpipe title on Sunday to make it six medals in six events over her Winter Games career. The 22-year-old delivered a 94.75 score – just 0.75 points better than her second run to claim victory at Milano Cortina 2026. With six total medals, she is the most accomplished freestyle skier in Winter Olympics history.
What made this gold even more special was the emotional weight behind it. On an emotional day for Gu in which she learned after the competition that her grandmother had died, she honored her legacy with a masterful performance. Gu revealed that her grandmother, Feng Guozhen, died, causing the Chinese freestyle skiing superstar to be late to her post-event press conference. "She was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely," said Gu of her maternal grandmother who helped raise her in San Francisco. "I didn't promise her that I was going to win, but I did promise her that I was going to be brave, like she has been brave, and that's why I keep referring to this theme of betting on myself and being brave and taking risks. It actually goes back to that promise that I made my grandma."
What sets Gu apart isn't just her medal count – it's the diversity of her achievement. She was the only freestyle skier to compete in all three events, let alone earn medals in each of them. At these Games, she earned gold in the halfpipe to the silver medals she earned in slopestyle and big air. The level of competition and training complexity across all three disciplines makes her accomplishment nearly unprecedented. Check out more coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics to see other highlights from these Games. Gu has become a controversial figure over her choice to represent China, where her mother was born, despite herself being born in San Francisco. Yet her competitors respect her deeply. Competitor Zoe Atkin said Gu is "a really great competitor" and "a really amazing skier."
For someone who started competing in freestyle skiing at such a young age, Gu's legacy is already cemented. Her most decorated status across all genders in the sport speaks to her commitment, mental resilience, and raw talent. 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. For now, she's earned her rest after an extraordinary week of freestyle skiing drama and triumph at Milano Cortina.