Eileen Gu adds to impressive medal total

Controversial American-born Team China skier Eileen Gu completed her 2026 Winter Olympics run with a gold medal in the women’s freeski halfpipe competition.

Gu delivered the gold medal in the final run of the event. It received a score of 94.75, just 0.75 points better than its second run. No one came close to touching his mark. His Chinese teammate Li Fangui could not have done better than 93.00. British Zoe Atkin won the bronze medal with 92.50 points.

Gu scored 94.00 in his second run. This win was his second consecutive gold medal in the halfpipe.

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He finished his run at the Milan Cortina Games with a total of three medals: gold in the halfpipe race and silver in big air and slopestyle. He has six medals on his resume.

Gu has already become the most decorated freeskier in the short history of the Olympics.

“The reason I love records so much is that it’s not about men or women,” Gu said. “I’m the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female. … It’s a testament to competitiveness, it’s mental strength. It’s being able to perform under pressure. It has nothing to do with whether you’re a boy or a girl.”

Gu faced criticism for US Vice President J.D. Vance’s decision to compete on behalf of China and was among those who criticized the athlete.

Wall Street Magazine Last week, it was reported that Gu and Zhu Yi, American-born figure skaters who currently compete for China, were paid a total of $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 for “trying to achieve excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.” In total, the two were reportedly paid nearly $14 million over the past three years.

Eileen Gu of China competes in the women’s freestyle ski halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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Vance weighed in on the controversy surrounding Gu in an interview on Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum” on Tuesday.

“I would certainly hope that someone who grew up in the United States and benefited from our education system and the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place would want to compete with the United States,” he said.

“So I’m going to support American athletes. I think part of that is because of people who identify as Americans. That’s who I’m rooting for in these Olympics.”

Gu acknowledged that he felt like a “punching bag for a certain branch of American politics.”

“Yes,” he said, according to USA Today. “A lot of athletes compete for a different country. … People have a problem with me doing that because they’re incorporating China into this monolith and they hate China. So it’s not about what they think it’s about.

Gold medalist Eileen Gu of China celebrates winning the women’s freestyle ski halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

“Also because I won. I think they probably wouldn’t care if I wasn’t doing well, and that’s fine with me. People are entitled to their own opinions.”

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Gu had previously said he was “physically attacked” for his decision to represent China.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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