Eileen Gu Secures Silver in Milan Cortina Big Air

MILAN (Azat TV) – Chinese American freestyle skier Eileen Gu secured a silver medal in the women’s freeski big air competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Monday night, falling short of defending the gold medal she won in the same event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The result marks Gu’s fifth Olympic medal across her two appearances, further cementing her status as a dominant force in the sport.

Canada’s Megan Oldham claimed the gold medal, while Italy’s Flora Tabanelli earned the bronze. Gu, who at 18 became the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics, delivered a strong performance but was ultimately edged out by Oldham by a narrow 1.75-point margin.

Gu’s Milan Cortina Performance and Medal Count

During the competition, Eileen Gu began with a strong first run, scoring 90.00 points, which placed her among the top contenders. However, a significant error on her second run, where she struggled with a clean tail grab and had a shaky landing, resulted in a lower score of 61.25. This momentarily dropped her out of a medal position with one run remaining, as the competition combines the top two scores for each skier.

Gu recovered impressively on her final run, landing an 89.00, which brought her total combined score to 179.00. This was enough to secure the silver medal. Reflecting on her achievement, Gu expressed satisfaction with her growing Olympic tally. “’Five-time Olympic medalist’ kind of has a nice ring to it,” she told reporters after the event, referencing her current two medals at the 2026 Games (including a silver in Slopestyle) and her three medals from Beijing 2022 (gold in big air and halfpipe, silver in Slopestyle).

Criticism of the Olympic Schedule

Ahead of the big air final, Gu openly criticized the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) for what she described as an overly tight Olympic schedule. As the sport’s only three-event athlete, Gu argued that the congested timetable prevents her from getting the necessary training for all her disciplines.

“I’m disappointed in FIS,” Gu stated, adding that she believes the Olympics should celebrate, not punish, athletes who strive to compete in multiple demanding events. She specifically highlighted that competing on Monday night made it ‘completely impossible’ for her to properly prepare for the halfpipe qualifying round, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday. Gu is expected to compete in the halfpipe final this Saturday.

The Enduring Controversy Surrounding Eileen Gu

Eileen Gu became a prominent and often debated figure in action sports when she announced in 2019 her decision to compete for China, her mother’s birth country, instead of the United States, where she was born and raised in California and attended Stanford University. This decision emerged amid heightened geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China, leading to mixed reactions globally.

While celebrated in China, her choice has drawn criticism and questions in the U.S. A persistent question revolves around her citizenship status, as China typically does not permit dual citizenship for its athletes. Gu has consistently declined to directly answer whether she has renounced her American citizenship, a point frequently noted in international reporting, including by Fox News and The Associated Press.

Eileen Gu’s consistent medal-winning performances underscore her exceptional talent and versatility, yet her Olympic journey remains uniquely intertwined with broader geopolitical narratives and the logistical demands of multi-event competition. Her outspoken critique of the FIS schedule highlights a growing tension between athlete welfare and the organizational pressures of elite sports.