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Eileen Gu, the controversial American-born Team China skier, finished her 2026 Winter Olympics run 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 a 94.75 – just 0.75 points better than her second run. Nobody came close to touching her mark. Her fellow 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 a 94.00 on her second run. The win is her second straight gold medal in the halfpipe.
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Gold medalist China’s Eileen Gu 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 total medals – the gold in the halfpipe event and silvers in big air and slopestyle. She has six medals on her resume.
Gu is already the most decorated freeskier in the short history of the Olympics.
“The reason I love the records so much is that it’s not about man or woman,” Gu said. “I’m the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female. … That’s a testament to competitive strength, it’s mental strength. It’s being able to perform under pressure. It has nothing to (do with) if you’re a boy or a girl.”
Gu has come under fire for her decision to compete for China over the U.S. Vice President JD Vance has been among those critical of the athlete.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Gu and Zhu Yi, a fellow American-born figure skater who now competes for China, were paid a combined $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 for “striving for excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.” In all, 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 Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America,” he said.
“So, I’m going to root for American athletes. I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I’m rooting for in this Olympics.”
Gu agreed that she felt like a “punching bag for a certain strand of American politics.”
“I do,” she said, per USA Today. “So many athletes compete for a different 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 win. Like if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for 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.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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