Eileen Gu wins gold at Calgary World Cup
By Bryan Ke
Before you read:
Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu took home two gold medals after competing at the recently concluded women’s International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Freestyle Ski World Cup halfpipe event in Calgary, Canada.
Gu, 19, received her first gold medal at the “Snow Rodeo” event on Thursday after finishing with a score of 95 in each of her three runs.
The winning streak continued on Saturday after Gu scored above 90 for her three runs, earning her another gold medal.
Canada’s Rachael Karker won a silver medal with a score of 85.50 on Saturday night, followed by Gu’s compatriot Zhang Kexin, who placed third with a score of 81.70.
The last time Gu competed was during the Beijing 2022 Olympics.
Despite taking a long time off from competing as a freestyle skier and juggling her time as a Stanford student, Gu told CBC that returning to her sport has “been so much fun.”
It’s been 11 and a half months since I’ve competed and coming out of the Olympics, obviously it’s difficult to follow that up pressure wise, but I think it’s been so much fun. I’ve been rediscovering all this love that I have for the sport. I love it more now than ever. Also, juggling skiing with my first year of college is a brand new challenge this year. I’m just trying to do what I love and enjoy the whole process, and not put too much pressure on myself.
Since Gu missed the season-opening of the World Cup at Copper Mountain, Colorado, in December 2022, the Chinese athlete is now No. 2 in the overall standings of the World Cup’s halfpipe discipline.
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