China’s “Snow Princess, Eileen Gu, jumped into the top and won her first gold with a 1620 and a perfect landing, scoring a 94.5, making her total score 188.25 in the event’s debut at the Winter Olympics. The 18-year old shrieked when she landed the job then dropped to her knees when the score was announced.
She beat out France’s Tess Ledeux, who took silver with a score of 187.50; Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud won the bronze.
In the competition, Ledeux is the only other woman to ever land a 1620 with a slight wobble. She tried to improve on her second run in Round 3, coming into the jump backward for a switch 1440, her shaky landing ensured that the gold will be Gu’s
Back in 2019, at the age of 15, Gu announced that she would switch country affiliations and compete for China in the Beijing Games. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love. Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations.”
Eileen Gu’s winning 1620 jump was her first attempt in her entire career. She hopes to win three gold medals in women’s freestyle big air.
