LIVIGNO, Italy — Maybe the most staggering thing of Eileen Gu’s entire gold medal-winning day was she lost her balance on the first trick in her first run.
Perhaps she is mortal? But maybe not as Gu defended her Olympic ski halfpipe title on Sunday to make it six medals in six events over her Winter Games career.
“She is ‘Wonder Woman,’” New Zealand’s Mischa Thomas said.
The 22-year-old Gu, American-born but competing for her mother’s homeland of China, is already the most decorated freeskier in the short history of the sport at the Olympics. She also captured two silver medals at the Milan Cortina Games, to pair with two golds and a silver from the Beijing Games.
“The reason I love the records so much is that it’s not about man or woman,” Gu said. “I’m the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female. … That’s a testament to competitive strength, it’s mental strength. It’s being able to perform under pressure. It has nothing to (do with) if you’re a boy or a girl.”
Gu won the event on the strength of her second run, a clean, technically sound pass. She got even better in her final run — pumping his ski poles after landing the final trick — and finished with a score of 94.75. Her teammate, Li Fanghui, took silver and Zoe Atkin of Britain was third.
“She is unreal,” Thomas said of Gu. “It’s pretty crazy how good she is.”
The event was rescheduled to Sunday following a big snowstorm the night before. It was a bright, sunny day as Gu shined in the final event at the Livigno Snow Park. She shielded her eyes from the sun to catch a peek of her winning score — and instantly liked what she saw.
There were quite a few Gu fans at the base of the halfpipe, holding up pictures of her and waving flags.
“Being able to lead the way and pioneer the sport is something I never imagined I’d be able to do,” Gu said. “But I’m really honored and proud that I have.”
Atkin, an American-born skier who competes for her father’s homeland of Britain, soared high all contest, a staggering 5.4 meters (18 feet) above the pipe at one point. She finished ninth at the Beijing Games but has been a steady presence on World Cup podiums ever since. She has three victories over the last four years, all in events where Gu didn’t compete.
The 23-year-old Atkin is the defending world champion.
“(Gu) is a really great competitor. She’s a really amazing skier,” said Atkin, whose sister, Isabel, won an Olympic bronze in ski slopestyle at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. “We have an amazing group of skiers as well. I think the level is truly unmatched, and I think that’s really special. I think that makes it really exciting to watch for the next coming years.”
Canada’s Amy Fraser echoed that.
“She’s a great skier, and she raises the level for everyone else, but she’s not unbeatable,” said Fraser, who finished fourth. “I don’t think the level is untouchable.”
In her second run, Thomas dropped into the halfpipe — and dropped her phone. It had to be retrieved for Thomas. After the competition, she reported: “My phone is great. Never been better.”
Svea Irving was a “DNS” — did not start — in the American’s second run. She returned for a third run but struggled to complete a maneuver and finished in 11th.
Atkin took the lead after the first run with a smooth performance. Meanwhile, Gu lost her balance on her first trick and cut the run short.
Cassie Sharpe of Canada sat out the final after a hard crash in Thursday’s qualifying round. She won the gold in the event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and silver four years later in Beijing.
