Minutes after her gold medal win in the women’s freeski halfpipe, Eileen Gu announced she had suffered a devastating personal loss.
Gu revealed that her grandmother, Feng Guozhen, died, causing the Chinese freestyle skiing superstar to be late to her post-event press conference.
“She was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely,” said Gu of her maternal grandmother, who helped raise her in her native San Francisco.
“This woman commanded life, and she grabbed it by the reins, and she made it into what she wanted it to be, and she inspired me so much,” added the 22-year-old skier, who won the halfpipe with a score of 94.75. “The last time I saw her before I came to the Olympics, she was very sick. So, I knew that this was a possibility. I didn’t promise her that I was going to win, but I did promise her that I was going to be brave like she has been brave.”
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Gu took a risk during the 2026 Olympics, competing in all three individual freestyle ski events — halfpipe, slopestyle and big air — making her the only woman to do so.
“I’m so tired, but I’m so happy,” she said after her final event of the Olympics. “I feel like I’ve been giving 110% of myself every single day. It’s like a marathon distance but a sprint pace because I can’t slack any day.”
She added, “I took a big risk in trusting myself, and I’m glad that I did.”
A significant reason for her willingness to take such a big risk at this year’s games was her grandmother’s exhibition of strength over the past several months.
“That’s why I keep referring to this theme of betting on myself and being brave and taking risks,” added the six-time Olympic medalist. “It actually goes back to that promise that I made my grandma, and so I’m really happy that I was able to uphold that and hopefully do her proud, but it’s also a really difficult time for me now.”
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Gu walks away from this year’s competition as the most decorated freestyle skier in the games’ history, earning three medals at the 2026 Olympics, one gold and two silver. She also earned two gold and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Games, making her just the second Olympian to ever record six gold or silver medals in their first six career Olympic events.
Her performance has been particularly impressive given that her participation in all three freestyle events has limited her time available to train.
“I chose to do three events knowing that I had to train halfpipe in two months, knowing that I would miss the halfpipe training in case I made big air finals, which I also hadn’t competed in in four years,” she said. “Being able to really trust myself that when it came down to the moment, that I would be able to perform to the best of my ability regardless of medal colour or medal in general — that’s a big bet.”
Gu’s bet paid off in a big way, as she honored her late grandmother in style with a record-setting effort while also representing her Chinese heritage. Despite being born and raised in California and currently attending Stanford University, Gu has represented China at the past two Olympics.
Gu is the world’s highest-paid Winter Olympic athlete, according to FOX News, earning an estimated $23 million in 2025 through partnerships with Chinese companies.