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Among the athletes contending for medals in the finals on Monday were China’s Eileen Gu and Team USA’s Avery Krumme.
WASHINGTON — Once more, Eileen Gu demonstrated why she ranks among the elite in winter sports by securing a silver in the women’s freeski slopestyle finals.
Despite suffering a significant setback with a fall during her third run’s initial rail, Gu was unable to claim the gold medal for the second consecutive Winter Games, narrowly missing out to her Olympic competitor.
Gu faced off against Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud, the reigning Olympic gold medalist. Both athletes were frontrunners from the start, pushing each other to excel in their subsequent runs. Gu initially took the lead after the first round, but Gremaud surpassed her with a stellar second run. Following Gu’s fall, Gremaud confidently completed her final run, already assured of her victory, to the enthusiastic applause of spectators.
Though Gu hails from the United States, she represents China in competition. This left 17-year-old Avery Krumme as not only the youngest participant in the finals but also the sole representative for the United States.
At 17, Avery Krumme likely has a long Olympic career ahead of her.
And in her debut in the women’s slopestyle skiing event, she proved she has the skills, but room for improvement. In her initial run, she appeared timid, only doing one rotation on the final rail when most others went for the double. The 52.40 score was her best of the event. Overall, she would finish in 11th place out of 11 competitors in the final.
But even before then, she’ll compete in Italy again, representing Team USA in the women’s big air event.
Krumme was the only woman on Team USA to make it through qualifications on Saturday, after her second run put her in fourth place. Grace Henderson placed 15th in the women’s slopestyle qualification and Marin Hamill finished in 16th out of 23.
Gu, who competes for China and won silver in the event in 2022, qualified for the final after a disastrous first run when she fell after a 270-degree spin. Her score of 75.30 on her second run of the qualifier put her in second place and held up among the 23 women seeking 12 spots in the final.
What nearly ruined the qualifier for the Gu was a rail section that is proving more difficult than that at an average World Cup course. The first rail — the one Gu fell on — is bigger than what these skiers are used to. The distance between the second and third rails is shorter than usual, which can make for issues gathering speed.
Four years ago in Beijing, a then-18-year-old Gu became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Winter Olympics. She took home gold in big air and halfpipe. She attempted to complete her gold medal collection in Italy, but the first rail of the run, which was also her undoing during the qualifier, proved to be a major problem.
The women’s freeski slopestyle took place at Livigno Snow Park, one of the many arenas around Italy where Olympians are vying for gold. The 2026 Games are the most spread-out in history.
The slopestyle course allows for jumps exceeding 80 feet in length, according to the Olympics. For big air events, the slop stands just over 160 feet tall for their competition. The park will also host ski cross and halfpipe events. The Olympics calls the park a “cutting-edge venue.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.