Eileen Gu just made history by winning her second medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. After winning silver at the slopestyle final, the 22-year-old bagged a second medal with a second-place finish at the big air competition on Monday.
With five Olympic medals under her belt, Gu is officially the most decorated female freestyle skier in the history of the Winter Games. The Chinese star now has a chance to add another medal to her collection. Her third and final event is the halfpipe competition, which is her preferred discipline.
Gu has an opportunity to leave the 2026 Games as a six-time Olympic medalist.
© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Despite her unprecedented success, Gu has still faced criticism. In fact, the American-born skier was asked what she labeled as a “ridiculous” question after her historic win at the big air final.
A reporter asked Gu how she felt about losing two gold medals after her back-to-back second-place finishes in slopestyle and big air. Gu could not help but laugh at the question before firing back with a feisty response.
“I'm the most decorated female freeskier in history,” Gu responded. “I think that's an answer in and of itself.
“How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else's expectations rise, right? And so the two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think it's kind of a ridiculous perspective to take.
“I’m showcasing my best skiing. I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before. And so I think that is more than good enough. But thank you.”
Fans loved how Gu handled the exchange. Support has poured in for the skiing icon after the unexpected moment involving a reporter.
“That’s an athlete with a growth based mindset right there 👌” a comment on Instagram read.
“you go girl!!!!!! You are awesome!!!” said another.
“Love her attitude!❤️” a viewer wrote.
“Great response and poise! She smashed it!” declared a supporter.
“That was so tuff 👏” another said.
“Her laugh alone deserves a medal,” a fan reacted.
Gu is extremely proud of what she has achieved in her skiing career. She knows well that she has reshaped the sport with her unmatched success. Gu is not letting any “ridiculous perspective” bring her down.
Gu will return to the spotlight on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET for the halfpipe qualifying round. If she qualifies, she will compete in the final on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET.