Eileen Gu and Mathilde Gremaud face off again in Olympics freeski slopestyle final
LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Eileen Gu and Mathilde Gremaud are ready to face off again in the women’s freeski slopestyle final at the Winter Olympics on Monday.
Gu emerged as a global star at the Beijing Olympics when at age 18 she made Olympic history by becoming the first winter action sport athlete to win three medals in a single Games. She took gold in halfpipe and big air, while grabbing a silver in slopestyle.
The only woman stopping her from a golden treble was Switzerland’s Gremaud, who edged Gu to first place in the slopestyle final by a mere 0.33 points.
Gremaud showed she had come to defend her title when she led qualifying just ahead of Gu on Saturday. Gu had to overcome a fall on her very first jump that had put her spot in the final in jeopardy. With the pressure on, Gu nailed her next jump to go through in style.
Gu, 22, was born in San Francisco but competes for China, her mother’s homeland.
In slopestyle, skiers perform acrobatic tricks while skiing over rails and jumps that are judged for difficulty and execution. In the final, the best score of the three jumps counts.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics