Defending gold medalist Eileen Gu qualified for the women’s big air final in freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics after shaking off a fall and landing her last jump.
Gu nailed her first jump on Saturday night but then crashed on her second run, making it essential for her to stay upright on her third and final attempt.
In qualifying, skiers must land two jumps, and the scores from those are combined to determine their position. The top 12 riders advanced to Monday’s final.
Gu then finished with the second-best score to ensure her bid to retain her crown continues at the Milan-Cortina Games.
The 22-year-old, who was born in San Francisco but competes for her mother’s native China, won gold in big air four years ago as an 18-year-old at the Beijing Games.
She also won gold in the halfpipe in 2022 and took silver in slopestyle, making her the first freestyle skier to win three medals in a single Games.
Eileen Gu avoided disaster at the Winter Olympics before qualifying for the big air skiing final
The China star suffered a huge crash on her second run before recovering on her third attempt
Megan Oldham of Canada, who won a bronze medal in slopestyle earlier this week, had the best score in big air qualifying with 171.75 points. Gu had 170.75, while Mathilde Gremaud was third with 169.
The Livigno big air ramp, built on a scaffolding, sends the riders soaring down a slope that’s more than 40 meters (44 yards) in height and was lit by floodlights for the nighttime event.
On Monday, Gu repeated as the slopestyle silver medalist, while Gremaud successfully defended her gold from 2022.
Gu will also try to defend her halfpipe title at the Winter Olympics after claiming gold in Beijing.
She has banked a staggering $23 million over the past year, yet a look at her books reveals a mystery that has left the sports world scratching its head.
Of that eye-watering fortune, it is estimated that only about $20,000 actually came from endeavors on the slopes – where she opts to represent China and not the US.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist is earning a relative pittance from the very sport that made her a household name.
Yet, as her wealth explodes, so does the vitriol from back home, where critics and former athletes have begun openly labeling the San Francisco-born skier a ‘traitor.’
Gu looked relieved after nailing her third run to secure qualification to Monday’s big air final
The answer lies in a high-stakes gamble that saw the California-born prodigy turn her back on Team USA to represent a nation 6,000 miles away.
By trading her American allegiance for a Chinese bib, Gu has cashed in on a billion-dollar market while being branded a defector by the country that raised her.
During the last Olympics, she told the Associated Press, ‘In the US, growing up, I had so many amazing idols to look up to.
‘But in China, I feel like there are a lot fewer of those. I’d have a much greater impact in China than in the US, and that’s ultimately why I made that decision.’
Meanwhile, in an interview with ESPN in 2021, she said: ‘Since I was little, I’ve always said when I’m in the US, I’m American, but when I’m in China, I’m Chinese.’
