Make it five medals in five Olympic events for Eileen Gu.
The San Francisco native, competing for China, won silver in the women’s freestyle skiing big air event Monday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
Gu, the reigning Olympic champion, needed a big score on her third and final run to vault into a medal position — and she delivered. The 22-year-old put up an 89.00, giving her a total score of 179.00. That moved her up to second place, a spot she maintained for the rest of the round.
Canada’s Megan Oldham edged out Gu for gold with a score of 180.75. Oldham captured slopestyle bronze earlier in these Games for her first Olympic medal. Italy’s Flora Tabanelli (178.25 total score) took bronze for her first Olympic podium finish.
Gu was competing in a big air competition for the first time since she gold at the 2022 Beijing Games. She also finished second behind Oldham in the qualification round.
The final was delayed by more than an hour due to weather. Skiers had three runs in the final and their two best scores were combined for a total score.
How many Olympic medals has Eileen Gu won?
This is the second medal of these Games for Gu and her fifth overall in five career Olympic events. The 22-year-old won her second straight slopestyle silver on Feb. 9. All five of Gu’s Olympic medals are either gold or silver.
Gu made history at the 2022 Games as the first athlete to win three freeski medals at a single Olympics with two golds and one silver. She also became the youngest-ever Olympic freeski champion at 18 years old.
Gu was born and raised in San Francisco and attends Stanford University. Her father is from the United States and her mother is from China.
When is Eileen Gu’s next Olympic event?
Gu will have another chance to add to her medal haul in the halfpipe event, which begins Thursday with the qualifying runs before Saturday’s final. She’s the reigning halfpipe gold medalist.
Eric Mullin
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