Eileen Gu kicked off her freeski halfpipe season opener on Saturday, winning the race with a remarkable 91.75 score in her second run. The halfpipe victory at the 2025-26 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup ensured that her unbeaten streak in the halfpipe event remains safe at the Secret Garden in China.
Following her impressive victory, Gu shed light on her struggles in her first run, which had forced her to consider withdrawing from the event at one point.
What Did Eileen Gu Reveal About Her Struggles Amid the Halfpipe Season Opener?
In her first race of the halfpipe event on Saturday, Gu struggled massively with her speed and the weather, finishing nearly five points behind British-American Zoe Atkin. However, she regrouped in her second run, recording a winning score of 91.75, which surpassed Atkin’s score of 90.25. Atkin ultimately finished second, while Australia’s Indra Brown secured third place with a score of 82.00.
A few hours later, Gu shared moments of joy from her celebration and podium appearance on Instagram.
She further emphasized her struggles in the accompanying caption, noting, “New all-time @fisparkandpipe World Cup win record today 🏆. Was struggling with speed to the point of seriously considering pulling from the contest during training. Had to do a new run with 15 min left, only trained half my tricks … list goes on.”
Gu continued, stating, “Deciding to compete was more of a challenge to myself to rise to the occasion and look the pressure in the eye. Thank you, skiing, as always, for providing the milieu for miracles to happen 💛 humbled and grateful for the opportunity.”
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In addition to the World Cup events, Gu also participated in the Shaun White Snow League, where she competed in halfpipe events last week and earned an impressive $50,000 in prize money. Outside of halfpipe competitions, she recently competed in her slopestyle season opener at the Stubai leg of the World Cup, finishing in 29th place.
Gu Addresses Her Hard Work Leading up to the Important 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
Gu recently shed light on how her training and hard work have fueled her to compete with immense confidence on the slopes. Notably, the 22-year-old began her training several months ago for the 2025-26 season and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
READ MORE: Eileen Gu Celebrates Freeski Debut Win with Emotional Message at Shaun White’s Snow League
Reflecting on her hard work amid her 2025-26 season, Gu stated in a recent interview, “I’ve been training so much, I’ve been working so hard, and every single time I stay the extra hour, do the extra run, it’s proof to myself, it’s evidence to myself that I’m a winner and I deserve to win. So just building back confidence, slowly. I train like I’ve never won, and I compete like I’ve never lost.”
The 22-year-old will also be chasing Olympic success at Milan Cortina in February, where she aims to defend her halfpipe and big air titles won in Beijing in 2022.
