Eileen Gu of Team China performs at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Cover Eileen Gu performs at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The 18-year-old Gen.T honouree scored China its third gold medal at the games, taking the top spot on the podium in the women's freeski big air event

Olympic athlete Eileen Gu has won gold in her Winter Olympic debut at the first-ever big air freestyle skiing competition at the games.

The 18-year-old skier, representing China, nailed a 1620 with a perfect landing in her final run to beat out her fiercest competitor, Tess Ledeux of France, with a combined score of 188.25. Ledeux, who took the silver, was the only one who had ever achieved the tricky jump in competition before.

In 2019, US-born Gu attracted international media attention when she decided to represent China, where her mother is from, having already represented the American national team earlier that year. She became the first naturalised Chinese skier in 2019, citing her wish to be a role model for young people in China.

In case you missed it: 5 Things To Know About Skier Eileen Gu

Tatler Asia
Eileen Gu wins the gold medal during the Olympic Games 2022, Women's Freeski Big Air on February 8, 2022 in Zhangjiakou China. (Photo by Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
Above Eileen Gu wins the gold medal during the Olympic Games 2022, Women's Freeski Big Air on February 8, 2022 in Zhangjiakou China. (Photo by Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

Gu is currently one of the youngest competitors in the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, and has won multiple championships around the world. She's also a budding model, who has starred in campaigns for luxury brands such as IWC, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co, and has more than 20 sponsorship deals in China alone.

Of her hopes to be the bridge between China and the USA, she told The New York Times: “I do corks in an icy, 22-foot, U-shaped snow structure. That’s not political. It’s pushing the human limit and it’s connecting people.”

See other honourees from the Sports category of the Gen.T List.


This article originally appeared on generationt.asia