Gu fell on her final run in an attempt to move to the top of the podium.
LIVIGNO, Italy — Four years ago in Beijing, the battle between Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud and American-born Chinese superstar Eileen Gu could hardly have been any closer in freeski slopestyle.
On that occasion, Gremaud came out on top.
Monday, the result almost felt like a repeat.
In what became a heavyweight bout, Gu came out of the gates with a clean opening run to score 86.58 but seemed to play it safe with the lead for her second run.
That allowed Gremaud to come over the top with a bold and almost flawless second run, jumping into first place with an 86.96.
It set the stage for both women to go all-out for the final run, hoping they could add fractions to their already impressive scores.
But Gu’s third run never got off the ground. The first rail on the course - one that gave Gu issues in qualifying - tripped her up. Gremaud secured the gold medal before even needing a third run.
At that point, both had already surpassed their best runs from 2022 when Gremaud won 86.56-86.23.
After their competition in Beijing, Gremaud struggled with her motivation but bounced back to win the World Championships in 2023 and 2025. Gu did not enter either of those events but bested Gremaud in her home country at World Cup events in Laax the last two years — including one just last month.
Gu, who won the gold in halfpipe and big air in Beijing, will once again be a strong contender in those events.
Category: General Sports
