BEIJING, Feb 18 — Californian-born Chinese superstar Eileen Gu capped her hugely successful Beijing Olympics by winning freeski halfpipe gold on Friday for her third medal of the Games.
The 18-year-old has been one of the stars of the Olympics and she added the halfpipe title to a previous gold and silver medal in Beijing after another commanding performance.
“The over-rising emotion is this deep-seated sense of gratitude and resolution — this all coming together, years and years in the making,” said Gu, wearing a panda hat after the victory ceremony.
“It’s like letting out a deep breath.”
Gu went top with a first-run score of 93.25 before extending her lead with 95.25 on her second attempt.
She had the title wrapped up before she even started her third and final run, and she celebrated with her coaches at the top of the halfpipe before making her way down with a relaxed and joyous victory lap.
“I was very emotional at the top and I chose to do a victory lap because I felt like for the first time I really deserved it and I really earned it,” she said.
“It was a great punctuation on this amazing journey up the Olympics.”
Canada’s Cassie Sharpe took silver on 90.75 points, while another Canadian, Rachael Karker, claimed bronze on 87.75.
China’s Zhang Kexin required medical attention after a crash on her third run but she was able to get up and ski unaided to the finish area.
Gu becomes the first person to win three medals in three different freestyle skiing disciplines at the Winter Olympics.
She said after qualifying on Thursday that her grandmother would be in attendance for the final to watch her ski for the first time.
She posted pictures of the pair wearing sunglasses and posing with Gu’s Olympic medals on Instagram on Thursday evening.
Gu said after qualifying for the final that her grandmother was likely to be “unfazed and unimpressed” by the massive attention surrounding her famous granddaughter. — AFP
