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Olympic skiing star Eileen Gu suffered a bad fall during women’s halfpipe qualifying on Thursday.
Gu’s fall came on her first run, when she hit the edge of the halfpipe on the third trick, causing her left ski to fall off and sending her sliding to the end of the track.
That set up a pressure-filled second attempt that he had to complete cleanly to stay in contention.
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China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifying race 1 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Livigno Snow Park in Livigno (Valtellina), Feb. 19, 2026. (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
Gu was not conservative and performed a race full of risky tricks, including one that sent her flying 14 feet over the edge of the halfpipe. She nearly broke her ski on a landing, but managed to stay upright.
Her race earned 86.50 points, enough to place fifth among the 12 skiers who advanced to the finals.
“I was relieved,” Gu said. “I just had this moment where I was like, ‘Thank you.’ You know, I shouldn’t be in this position to begin with, but I’m glad I was able to bolster my sense of self-confidence at a time when it mattered.”
So far, Gu has won two silver medals in freestyle skiing in Milan Cortina in the Slopestyle and Big Air events. Saturday’s halfpipe final is his last chance to win gold.
An interaction on Tuesday with a journalist went viral after Gu responded to a question about whether he had won two silver medals instead of gold so far in the Olympics, suggesting the question came from a “ridiculous perspective.”
“I’m the most decorated free skier in history. I think that’s an answer in itself,” Gu said when asked if she saw her two medals as “silver won” or “gold lost.”
OLYMPIAN CONTROVERSIAL EILEEN GU UPSET ABOUT ‘REALLY UNFAIR’ WINTER GAMES SCHEDULE
Eileen Gu of Team PRC falls in the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Qualification 1 on day thirteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Air Park on February 19, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“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 each medal is equally difficult for me, but everyone else’s expectations are raised, right?”
“The two lost medals situation, to be honest, I think is a ridiculous prospect. I’m showing my best skiing. I’m doing things that have literally never been done before. So I think that’s more than enough, but thank you.”
Gu has been the subject of global criticism since his decision to represent China, dating back to the original decision in 2019 and his first Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022. This year, that criticism has increased.
vice president J.D. Vance weighed in on the controversy surrounding Gu in an interview Tuesday on Pak Gazette’ “The Story With Martha MacCallum.”
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China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifying race 1 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Livigno Snow Park in Livigno (Valtellina), Feb. 19, 2026. (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America and benefited from our educational system, from the freedoms that make this country a great place, I would hope that they would want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance said.
“So, I’m going to root for American athletes. I think part of that is people who identify as Americans. “That’s what I support in these Olympic Games.”
