Another Ski Superstar Joins Winter Olympic Roster: Eileen Gu Confirms Italy Qualification
Not that anyone had any doubts, but the Chinese-American freeskiing superstar Eileen Gu is headed to the Olympics, she confirmed in a social media post. She joins a growing cast of big names who have punched a ticket to the Winter Games.
“Officially Olympic qualified,” an overlay on Gu’s post read, which also included footage of her in her element, stomping corks and sliding rails.
The skier, who competes for China, already has several Olympic medals in her trophy case.
At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she claimed hardware in every freeskiing discipline: halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air. Two were gold. One was silver. Coming into this year’s Winter Olympics—which are set to kick off in early February in Italy—Gu is poised to be a medal favorite.
Last month, she took her first World Cup win of the season in a halfpipe competition in Secret Garden, China. She also claimed victory at the inaugural Snow League freeski event, a spinoff series started by legendary snowboarder Shaun White.
Gu is set to compete next at the upcoming slopestyle World Cup in Laax, Switzerland, on Saturday, January 17. In the qualifying heat, she took first.
The string of wins and podiums follows the news that, over the summer, Gu was injured while training in New Zealand. But by all observable metrics, she’s back in peak form.
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What Other Notable Skiers Are Already Qualified for the Olympics?
A growing roster of ski stars who have confirmed they’re heading to the Olympics already. Lindsey Vonn, who is mounting a fairytale ski racing comeback at age 41, confirmed in December that she was bound for the big event. Vonn, ahead of the Olympics, has appeared unstoppable with multiple World Cup podium finishes. She’ll be joined by fellow American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin in Italy.
The U.S. freeskiing team is also taking shape. Hunter Hess recently joined the halfpipe squad alongside Alex Ferreira and Nick Goepper. Hess is best known by freeskiing fans for his Magma video series, which we covered here (his collaborator in the series, Alex Hall, was pre-qualified for the Olympics). It’ll be Hess’s first Winter Olympics.
Meanwhile, Olympic silver medalist Colby Stevenson is gunning for the last spot on the U.S. men’s freeski team. Come Saturday at Laax, he’ll have a shot at locking in his Olympic invitation.