Eileen Gu and Team GB’s Zoe Atkin will have to wait an extra day for their showdown after the freestyle skiing halfpipe final was postponed – because of too much snow.
The pair, identified as strong favorites, will instead have to compete on Sunday morning due to a blizzard that swept through the mountains of Livigno on Saturday.
A message from organizers to the teams read: ‘Unfortunately due to persistent heavy snow and the inability to prepare the pipe in a safe and fair condition, the jury has made the decision to postpone the women’s halfpipe finals to tomorrow, Sunday the 22nd.
‘The proposed plan is tomorrow morning awaiting official confirmation.’
Atkin, a two-time halfpipe champion at the X Games and reigning world gold medalist, qualified in first place for the final, with former US athlete Gu, now of China, down in fifth.
Gu, the defending champion, is considered to be Atkin’s biggest threat, with Chinese team-mate Fanghui Li also a major contender after qualifying in second place.
Eileen Gu will have to wait until Sunday to go for gold in the freestyle skiing halfpipe final
The 22-year-old fell for a third time in qualifying and admits she’s felt like a ‘punching bag’
Gu has come under heavy criticism from American viewers during the 2026 Games after her decision to compete for China, despite being born and raised on the west coast of the United States.
She fell for a third time on Thursday during the women’s halfpipe qualifying, and went on to speak about the backlash she has received over the past fortnight.
Gu has won a pair of silvers so far at the Games, but revealed that she has felt like a ‘punching bag’ throughout her time in Italy.
‘I do,’ she said when asked if she feels ‘like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics’, per USA Today.
Gu, who was born in America, has come under fire over her decision to represent China
‘So many athletes compete for a different country… people only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really about what they think it’s about.
‘And also, because I win. Like if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions.’
Earlier this month, Gu claimed that she was assaulted at Stanford University after deciding against competing for Team USA in international competitions.
Gu told The Athletic last week that her decision to compete for China angered many Americans, who saw her as disloyal.
Team GB’s Zoe Atkin is Gu’s biggest rival for the gold medal in their final event of the Games
‘Physically assaulted on the street,’ Gu told The Athletic. ‘The police were called.
‘I’ve had death threats,’ she added. ‘I’ve had my dorm robbed.’
She also claimed that a petition, started by the parents of Chinese-American students, was launched to keep her out of the school.
Gu, whose mother is from China, enrolled at Stanford in the fall of 2022.
