Livigno, Italy, February 22, 2026: China's brightest winter sports star, freestyle skier Eileen Gu Ailing, ended the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on a golden high on Sunday by defending her women’s freeski halfpipe title.
Gu, 22, won her first gold of the Games, after two silver medals in slopestyle and big air, and extended her career tally to three gold and three silver medals from Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026. She is the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history.
Gu delivered a final run of 94.75 points to seal victory, having already posted the highest score of the competition with a 94.00 in her second run.
China's Li Fanghui secured silver with a strong third run of 93.00. Britain's Zoe Atkin, who topped qualifying, took bronze with 92.50.
After the 1-2 finish, China's medal tally stood at five golds, four silvers and six bronzes, marking the country's best result at an overseas Winter Games, with the previous record being 5-2-4 at Vancouver 2010.
Moments after defending her Olympic halfpipe title, Gu revealed that she had just learned of the passing away of her grandmother, whom she credits with teaching her to be brave.
Speaking at a press conference, Gu apologised for arriving late and explained what had unfolded behind the scenes, Xinhua News reported.
"The reason I was late is that I just found out that my grandma passed away," Gu said. "She was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely."
Gu described her grandmother as a formidable presence and a fighter who refused to cruise through life.
"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," Gu said.