“It wasn't a joke”- Eileen Gu makes history at Milano Cortina 2026 with sixth Winter Olympics medal, but says real victory is still far away

Eileen Gu created history at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The freestyle skiing star won two silver medals and one gold in Italy. With this performance, she became the most decorated freeskier in Olympic history with six medals. Gu proved once again that she delivers when it matters most.

The 22-year-old represented the People’s Republic of China and competed in three events. Her Olympic cycle was far from smooth. She balanced full-time studies at Stanford University, fashion commitments, and injury recovery. Still, she arrived ready to give everything on the snow. Her courage and consistency defined her remarkable campaign in the Italian Alps.

Eileen Gu overcomes falls, fatigue and fierce competition

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Eileen Gu’s Olympics began with a setback. She crashed on her first slopestyle run. However, she quickly regrouped. In the final, she produced a personal best and secured silver. She finished just behind Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud by 0.38 points.

In Big Air, weather conditions were harsh. A blizzard tested every athlete. Gu had not competed in Big Air since winning gold at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Still, she earned another silver medal. Remarkably, she learned her highest-scoring trick only a day before the event during training.

Her toughest test came in the halfpipe final. Many competitors were fresh. Gu had no rest days and competed in three finals. She even fell again during qualification. But when it mattered most, she delivered a brilliant run of 94.75 to defend her title and win gold.

After the victory, she reflected emotionally. Speaking to the Olympics official website, she explained that describing the feeling was difficult. She recalled growing up as the only girl on her ski team until age 15. Standing as the most decorated and most gold medal-winning freeski athlete, male or female, felt unreal to her.

She also shared how hard it was to medal six times in a row. She said doing it once is difficult, but repeating it across weeks with changing schedules, adrenaline swings, and no rest days made it even tougher. Being the only athlete in three finals required commitment.

Gu believes medals measure progress but are not the final goal. For her, true success is becoming the best skier and inspiring more girls to join. More fans mean more opportunities and stronger platforms for everyone.

Looking back, she admitted she took a big risk this Olympic cycle. Trying to balance everything could have ended badly. But she trusted herself. Even if things failed, she would not regret trying. In the end, her belief turned into proof on the Olympic stage.



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