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Eileen Gu, the controversial American-born Team China skier, ended her 2026 Winter Olympics with a gold medal in the women’s freeski halfpipe event.
Gu delivered the gold medal on her final run of the event. She scored 94.75 – just 0.75 points better than her second run. No one came close to touching her mark. Her Chinese teammate Li Fangui couldn’t do better than 93.00. Britain’s Zoe Atkin won the bronze medal with a score of 92.50.
Gu scored 94.00 on his second run. The victory is her second gold medal in a row in halfpipe.
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Gold medalist Eileen Gu of China poses with her medals after winning the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
She finished her run at the Milan Cortina Games with three overall medals – gold in the halfpipe event and silver in big air and slopestyle. She has six medals on her CV.
Gu is already the most decorated freeskier in the Olympics’ short history.
“The reason I love the records so much is that it’s not about male or female,” Gu said. “I’m the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female. … It’s a testament to competitive strength, it’s mental strength. It’s being able to perform under pressure. It has nothing to do with whether you’re a boy or a girl.”
Gu has come under fire for her decision to compete for China over US Vice President JD Vance has been among those critical of the athlete.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Gu and Zhu Yi, another American-born figure skater who now competes for China, were paid $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 to “strive for outstanding results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.” In total, the two were reportedly paid nearly $14 million over the past three years.
China’s Eileen Gu competes during the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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Vance weighed in on the controversy surrounding Gu in a Tuesday interview on Pakinomist’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”
“Certainly I think someone who has grown up in the United States and has benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I hope they want to compete with the United States,” he said.
“So, I want to root for American athletes. I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. They’re the ones I’m rooting for in these Olympics.”
Gu agreed that she felt like a “punching bag for a certain segment of American politics.”
“I do,” she told USA Today. “So many athletes are competing for another country… 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.
Gold medalist China’s Eileen Gu celebrates winning the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
“And also because I’m winning. Like if I didn’t do well, I think they probably wouldn’t care and that’s ok with me. People are entitled to their opinions.”
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Gu has previously said she was “physically assaulted” for her decision to represent China.
