China’s ‘snow princess’ Gu delivers gold in Big Air event
Beijing, Feb 8 (EFE).- Eileen Gu became China’s youngest Winter Olympic gold medalist on Tuesday after she aced the big air freestyle skiing competition.
Gu, who has both American and Chinese nationality, was facing huge pressure from the home crowd to deliver gold, and she did so in style, nailing a 1620 degree, four and a half rotations in a competitive setting for the first time in her fledgling career.
The trick saw her leapfrog France’s Tess Ledeux, who took silver after also completing a 1620, and Swiss Mathilde Gremaud, who took bronze.
“I’ve never done the 16 before, I haven’t really prepared for it that much either,” the 18-year-old said, “but I’ve spent a lot of hours visualizing it.”
“My motto is to break your own barriers. That is my character,” she added.
The gold medal cements Gu’s superstar status in China, where she is known as Ailing Gu and has been given the nickname ‘Snow Princess’.
Gu was watched in the big air event by Peng Shui.
The Chinese tennis superstar had not been seen in public since she alleged in a social media post that former Chinese vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her, leading to concerns over her wellbeing.
Peng watched the competition alongside Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee. EFE
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