Eileen Gu pays emotional tribute to grandmother after gold win, hopes she made ‘her proud’
Eileen Gu becomes greatest freeskier in Winter Olympics history after winning sixth medal. Teammate Li Fanghui claims silver
China’s Eileen Gu became the most decorated freestyle skier in the history of the Winter Olympics after winning halfpipe gold on Sunday, then learned moments later that her grandmother had died.
The 22-year-old Gu added a sixth medal to her already impressive collection, successfully defending a title she won as part of her triple haul at the Beijing Games four years ago.
No other freeskier, man or woman, has won as many as Gu, who is the only athlete to have competed in all the park and pipe events at the Olympics. Gold on Sunday in an event delayed 24 hours by heavy snow in Livigno followed silver medals in big air and slopestyle.
Teammate Li Fanghui took silver just ahead of Britain’s Zoe Atkin, who claimed bronze. Atkin followed in the footsteps of her sister Izzy, who also came third in the same event at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Speaking to the press after another emotionally charged day, Gu said she had last spoken to her elderly relative before the Olympics, and had known she might not get the chance again.
News of her death had come minutes after the medal ceremony, Gu said.