Eileen Gu Makes History in Freestyle Skiing

Eileen Gu's historic freestyle skiing medal haul

Eileen Gu becomes most-decorated woman in freestyle skiing, tied with Mikhael Kingsbury after winning silver in big air at Winter Olympics.

“I'm going to be visualising my halfpipe run...” 

Eileen Gu, the five-time Olympic medallist, said, “Five-time Olympic medallist has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” after receiving her latest medal, a silver, in the women's big air contest at the Winter Olympics. Gu finished second to Canada's Meghan Oldham in the event, which was delayed over an hour due to a heavy snowstorm in Livigno.

Gu's impressive performance earned her a total of five Olympic medals, making her the first female freestyle skier to achieve this feat. She's competing in her second Olympics and is known for her remarkable skills on the slopes. 

Eileen Gu, the American-born skier competing for China, has made history by becoming the most decorated female freestyle skier with her silver medal win in the big air event at the Milano Cortina Games. Gu, who was the defending gold medallist in both events, brushed off a reporter's question about whether she viewed her performances as two silvers gained or two golds lost, saying, “I am the most decorated female free skier in history. I think that's an answer in and of itself.”

An INSANE record 🤯

At just 22 years old, Eileen Gu’s medal tally is nothing short of unbelievable 👏 pic.twitter.com/TLecdkUVYg

— TNT Sports (@tntsports) February 16, 2026

Gu's impressive performance earned her a total of five Olympic medals, making her the first female freestyle skier to achieve this feat. She's currently tied with Canada's Mikhael Kingsbury, the most-decorated man in freestyle skiing. Gu has expressed her focus on preparing for her next event, the halfpipe, where she's looking to win a sixth overall medal.

Eileen Gu won silver in the big air event at the Winter Olympics, and she's particularly proud of this achievement because she hadn't competed in the event since her gold win in Beijing 2022. In fact, she hadn't even trained for it ahead of the Games. To make things more challenging, Gu hit her head and broke her helmet during a training run, but she managed to power through, using the weather delay to rest and ice her injury.

Gu's determination and resilience paid off, earning her a fifth Olympic medal and making her the most decorated woman in freestyle skiing history. She's now tied with Canada's Mikhael Kingsbury, the most-decorated man in the sport. Gu's next event is the halfpipe, where she'll look to add to her impressive medal collection.

Gu has a chance to become the sole most-decorated freestyle skier when she competes in the halfpipe contest starting Thursday. The 22-year-old Chinese-American skier is looking strong, having already proven her skills in big air and slopestyle. 

Eileen Gu's silver medal win in the big air event on Monday coincided with the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, but she wasn't planning to celebrate. Instead, she's focused on preparing for her next event, the halfpipe. “I'm going to be visualising my halfpipe run,” she said. “I need to train tomorrow night. I'm going to lie in bed and think about my tricks.”

Gu's determination is impressive, especially considering she hadn't competed in the big air event since 2022 and had been dealing with a head injury from a training crash. Her hard work paid off, earning her a fifth Olympic medal and making her the most decorated female freestyle skier in history.