Eileen Gu faced an emotional moment right after winning gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Opening up about her grandmother’s death after she defended her title in Milan, she broke down in tears.
On Sunday, February 22, Gu competed in the freeski halfpipe, where she earned a historical win, becoming the first woman to defend her title in this discipline. She earned a score of 94.75 in her third run, making her the Olympic champion. Li Fanghui and Zoe Atkin secured the second and third positions, respectively.
This was one of the most incredible moments of Gu’s career, which immediately turned into a heartbreaking one, as her grandmother died. She opened up about the tragedy at her press conference, where she fought tears while revealing the news and highlighting her grandmother’s role in her life.
“The reason I was late is that I just found out that my grandma passed away, and she was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely. She was such a strong. She was a fighter, and I think what’s so interesting is that a lot of people just cruise through life, but she was a steamship. Like this woman commanded life, and she grabbed it by the reins, and she made it into what she wanted it to be. And she inspired me so much,” said Eileen Gu.
Sharing the details of her last meeting with her, Gu added:
“The last time I saw her before I came to the Olympics, she was very sick, so I knew that this was a possibility. I didn’t promise her that I was gonna 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 like betting on myself and like being brave and taking risks. It actually goes back to that promise that I made my grandma, and so I’m really happy that I was able to uphold that, and hopefully do her proud, but it’s also a really difficult time for me now.”
With her latest gold medal win, Gu has become the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic history, with a total of six Olympic medals, including three gold and three silver.
How Did Eileen Gu Perform at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Apart from the gold medal in the freeski halfpipe event, Eileen Gu competed in two other events in Milano-Cortina. Her first event was the women’s freeski slopestyle, where she faced a narrow loss to the defending champion, Mathilde Gremaud. Gu scored 86.58, which was just 0.38 points behind the winner’s 86.96.
Following this, she competed in the women’s freeski big air event, where she again secured a silver medal, clocking 89.00 in her final run and a combined score of 179.00. Overall, Eileen Gu won three medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, including one gold and two silver.
Read More:
- JD Vance Joins Debate Over Eileen Gu’s Decision to Ski for China After Benefiting From US Freedoms at Winter Olympics
- When Does Eileen Gu Compete Again? Schedule for Big Air and Halfpipe After Slopestyle Silver
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