Chinese freestyle skiing sensation Eileen Gu has voiced her frustration over what she describes as an entirely preventable scheduling conflict at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The 22-year-old athlete, who recently secured a silver medal in slopestyle, finds herself in a difficult position as she prepares for the Big Air final scheduled for Monday, February 16.
Eileen Gu Lashes Out at Olympics Scheduling Amid Historic Triple-Event Bid
The issue has sparked debate about how management accommodates athletes competing across multiple sports at the highest level.
Gu took to Instagram on Saturday to address her disappointment after securing the Big Air final, where she finished second despite it being her first event in four years.
In a lengthy post, the Olympic champion revealed that the FIS Park and Pipe division has scheduled Big Air finals and halfpipe training with complete overlap, forcing her to miss an entire day of crucial preparation. She explained that the Big Air final conflicts with the first of three halfpipe training sessions, each lasting three hours, and despite her requests for accommodations, her appeals were rejected.
The skier emphasized that she is the only female freeskier registered for all three disciplines at these games, noting that no other woman in the halfpipe field is competing in another event.
“No other woman in the halfpipe field is competing in another event, and for good reason – Halfpipe is different from slope and big air, and demands its own training time accordingly,” Gu stated in her post.
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She characterized the situation as contradicting the Olympic spirit, arguing that reaching finals in one event should not disadvantage her performance in another and expressing concern about the message this sends to future athletes who wish to compete across multiple events.
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Despite the setback, Gu remained positive for her Big Air final. She demonstrated remarkable composure during qualification, executing a more complex jump on her third attempt after recovering from a crash on her second run. She qualified second for Monday’s final, showcasing the mental strength that has defined her career throughout numerous challenges.
“I am proud of myself for being willing to give big air my best shot, and am looking forward to competing tomorrow night under the lights with this incredible field of women🤍,” she concluded in her Instagram caption.
Beijing Heroics to Milan Cortina: Gu’s Olympic Journey
Gu has established herself as one of freestyle skiing’s most decorated athletes through her remarkable achievements across multiple sports. At just 18 years old during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, she became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Games, capturing gold in Big Air and halfpipe while earning silver in slopestyle. Her historic performance at Beijing 2022 marked a defining moment in Olympic freestyle skiing history.
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Her success extends beyond the Olympics to World Championship competitions, where she has consistently demonstrated excellence across all three disciplines. At the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2021 in Aspen, Gu won two gold medals in halfpipe and slopestyle, and a bronze in Big Air, becoming the first freeskier to win two golds at a single World Championship.
She accomplished this feat while competing without poles because of a broken hand, a fractured finger, and a torn UCL in her thumb, showcasing her determination and adaptability under challenging circumstances.
At the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, Gu has already matched her Beijing slopestyle performance by earning silver, finishing just 0.38 points behind Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud with a score of 86.58. She described it as “the best slopestyle run I’ve ever done” and her fourth Olympic medal across four events after overcoming several injuries in recent years.
With Big Air finals scheduled for Monday and halfpipe finals set for Saturday, February 21, Gu continues her pursuit of Olympic history despite the scheduling challenges she currently faces.
