Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Renowned freestyle skier Eileen Gu won a silver medal in the women's Freeski Big Air at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, adds her long list of achievements on the international sporting stage.
The intense competition took place on Monday evening, February 16, 2026, in Livigno, Italy, amidst challenging weather conditions.
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Gu, representing China, put on an outstanding performance despite failing to defend her gold medal from the previous Olympics.
This silver medal is a testament to her consistency and dedication to this extreme sport.
She secured second place after a series of jumps that wowed the judges and spectators.
This is her fifth medal overall, a rare achievement in winter sports.
Silver Medal Win and Tight Competition
In the women's Freeski Big Air final, Eileen Gu earned a total score of 179 points, placing her in second place at Livigno Snow Park.
The gold medal in this event was won by Canada's Megan Oldham, who dominated with a combined score of 180.75 points from her two best jumps.
Oldham delivered a consistent and impressive performance, edging out Gu by less than two points.
Meanwhile, the bronze medal went to Flora Tabanelli of Italy, who also put on an impressive performance in front of the home crowd.
A Brilliant Performance and a New Trick
One of the most notable moments of Eileen Gu's performance was her successful landing of a left-side double cork 1260 on her third jump in the final round.
This trick is a highly complex and high-risk maneuver, which she had only learned a few days before the competition.
“Being my first Big Air event in four years, I came into it with very realistic expectations,” Gu told Olympics.com afterwards.
“I learned that left-side double cork 1260 in training for this contest, so I’m so happy I landed it under pressure."
This also marked her first Big Air performance since her phenomenal victory at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where she also won a gold medal.
Olympic Medal Record and Gu's Comments
This silver medal marks Eileen Gu's fifth Olympic medal in her career, a remarkable achievement for an athlete her age.
With this achievement, she is now officially the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic history.
Previously, Eileen Gu also won a silver medal in the slopestyle event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, which she won on February 9, 2026.
Her total of five Olympic medals is a testament to her dedication and hard work.
Despite failing to successfully defend her Big Air title, Gu expressed her joy at the silver medal.
"Five-time Olympic medalist sounds great, doesn't it?" she said with a smile.
She also responded to a question about whether she viewed it as two silver medals won or two gold medals lost by stating that winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience, and doing it five times is much more difficult.