Eileen Gu ‘doesn’t feel any pressure’ to win China’s first gold medal at Winter Olympics
The 22-year-old, who has two silver medals in Italy so far, will defend her halfpipe gold, starting with qualifiers on Thursday evening
Decorated Olympian Eileen Gu said she “doesn’t feel any pressure” to win the first gold medal for China at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Gu made the comment after winning silver at the freestyle skiing women’s big air event on Monday. The Chinese star has two silver medals in Italy, after also winning a slopestyle silver last week.
Heading into the Milano Cortina Games, Gu had two golds and one silver from Beijing 2022, and now with her tally up to five medals, the San Francisco-born athlete has cemented her place as the most successful freestyle ski athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics.
“I am the person with the most women’s freestyle ski [Olympic] medals, and it’s a historic record,” she said. “It’s more difficult every time; the first medal was a life-changing process, and the fifth? It’s equally difficult for me.
“The others [people in China] have higher expectations of me, but I don’t feel any pressure; maybe the others do, but that’s their own choice.
“I can only do my best, and hope to showcase the best version of me under the highest pressure.”