02/16/26 01:54:00
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02/16 13:53 CST Eileen Gu jumping to defend Olympic gold in big air. Rival
Gremaud out after hurting hip in practice
Eileen Gu jumping to defend Olympic gold in big air. Rival Gremaud out after
hurting hip in practice
LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) --- Freeskier Eileen Gu was set to go for her second
straight Olympic gold medal in big air and second medal of the Milan Cortina
Games on Monday night.
Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud, the 2022 big air bronze medalist and Gu's top
rival, was forced to miss the final. She injured her hip when she crashed in
practice earlier Monday and was taken off on a stretcher. Gremaud beat Gu for
slopestyle gold last week.
The final was delayed for over an hour due to a snowstorm.
The 22-year-old Gu hasn't competed in a big air contest since winning the gold
medal in Beijing four years ago. But there are enough similarities between big
air and slopestyle, which features similar jumps, that Gu found her rhythm
quickly.
She finished second in qualifying two nights ago. Afterward, she said she was
upset because organizers didn't make any accommodations for her to get a third
practice session on the halfpipe, her final event.
The first of the three practices for the halfpipe, in which Gu also is the
defending champion, took place at the same time as the big air final.
Gu, who was born in the United States but competes for her mother's homeland of
China, said she looked for time when she could make up for the lost session,
but officials from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) would
not accommodate her.
"I think being able to do something that's beyond the ordinary should be
celebrated instead of punished," she said.
Gu was looking to repeat her feat from the Beijing Games, where she became the
first action-sports athlete to win three medals at one Olympics.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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