China’s Eileen Gu is sharing an update on her personal life after winning her second straight freeski halfpipe gold medal at the 2026 Olympics.
“The reason I was late is that I just found out that my grandma passed away,” Gu, 22, said during a press conference on Sunday, February 22, while becoming emotional. “She was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely. She was a fighter.”
She continued, “I think what’s so interesting is that a lot of people just cruise through life, but she was a steamship. This woman commanded life and she grabbed it by the reins and she made it into what she wanted it to be. She inspired me so much.”
Gu — who was born and raised in the U.S. but decided to represent China in the 2026 Winter Games — went on to recall the last time she saw her grandmother before heading to the Olympics.
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“She was very sick, so I knew that this was a possibility,” Gu said. “I didn’t promise her that I was going to win but I did promise her that I was going to be brave like she has been brave. That’s why I keep referring to this theme of betting on myself and being brave and taking risks. It actually goes back to that promise that I made my grandma.”
She continued, “So, I’m really happy that I was able to uphold that and hopefully do her proud. But it’s also a really difficult time for me now. So I really apologize for being late but that’s what was going on.”
Gu took home gold in her final event at Livigno Snow Park on Sunday while teammate Li Fanghui earned the silver medal and Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin won bronze.
“Every day I was fighting,” Gu told reporters after the win. “I gave my all every single day that I’ve been here, and that’s no joke.”
Gu said she “showcased [her] best skiing” in all three of her events, adding, “and as far as performance goes, that’s all I can ask for — to be able to show the world the best that women’s skiing has to offer at the moment that it really counts.”
Figure skater Alysa Liu has already gotten a replacement gold medal just days after accidentally breaking hers at the 2026 Winter Olympics. “[It’s] a new one,” Liu, 20, revealed during a Tuesday, February 10, interview with Overtime. “I was just jumping up and down, as one does to celebrate, and it just dropped. It just […]
Gu shared that she feels that she’s “able to lead the way and pioneer the sport” through her success. While she “never imagined” she would have that opportunity, she’s “really honored and proud that I have.”
Gu’s sixth Olympic medal cemented her place as the most decorated freeskier in history. While reflecting on the accomplishment, Gu shared that she loves “the records so much” because “it’s not about man or woman.”
“I’m the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female,” she said. “I have the most gold medals ever, 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 went on to share what she journaled about that day, noting she wrote about “self-belief.”
“The form that it took is love of the sport and pouring myself into the sport,” she said. “Having the run of my life is the way that I put it. It’s representing my life and my life’s work to the world at the moment that it counts.”