Gu scored 179 points to take silver in the women’s freestyle skiing big air final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Feb. 17 (Korean time). Canada’s Megan Oldham won gold with 180.75.
“I’m really proud to have won five medals. It feels special,” Gu said afterward.
Gu was the inaugural Olympic champion in women’s big air when the event debuted at the 2022 Beijing Games, but she fell short of a second straight title this time. After winning two golds and a silver in Beijing, she has two silvers so far at this Olympics with two of three events completed.
Born to an American father and a Chinese mother, Gu competes for China and is known as the highest-earning athlete in the field over the past year. Forbes estimated her annual income at $23 million.
The final was delayed by more than an hour because of heavy snow. In the last practice run, Gu hit her head hard enough to break her helmet.
“I’m glad the competition was delayed. I had time to calm down while icing my head,” she said. “If it hadn’t been postponed, I don’t think I would have gotten this kind of result.”
With the silver, Gu now has two golds and three silvers in her Olympic career. That ties Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury for the most Olympic medals in freestyle skiing and gives Gu the outright women’s record.
Gu will compete in the halfpipe starting Feb. 20, seeking another medal and aiming for a second straight Olympic title in that event after Beijing.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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