Arizona Tribune - Emotional Gu makes history with Olympic freeski halfpipe gold

The 22-year-old, who also won silver in slopestyle and big air in Italy, posted a best score of 94.75 at a sun-soaked Livigno Snow Park to edge out China teammate Li Fanghui, who posted 93.00.

An emotional Gu said at her post-event press conference that was proud to make history but broke down in tears towards the end, explaining she had found out about the death of her grandmother after the medals ceremony.

The freeski superstar, who has been one of the biggest names at the Winter Olympics, said she had fought "every single day" in the Italian Alps.

"In all three events I showcased my best skiing and as far as performance goes, that's all I can ask for -- to be able to show the world the best that women's skiing has to offer at the moment that it really counts," she said.

The defending champion flunked her first run, scoring just 30.00, as Great Britain's world champion Zoe Atkin set the pace with 90.50.

But Gu, who now has three Olympic golds and three silvers in total, produced a dazzling performance in the second round to wow the judges.

She punched the air, cheered by a sizeable group of Chinese fans, who stood behind a row of flags, and was awarded 94.00.

Gu raised her game still further in her final run, posting 94.75 to put her further out of reach and her rivals could not catch her.

Atkin took bronze with a best of 92.50.

- Record-breaker -

Gu celebrated her victory in front of her supporters before receiving her gold medal wearing a large golden bow in her hair.

Standing on top of the podium rounded off the Games in style for Gu, who was the darling of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, winning two golds and a silver.

She came to Italy seeking a clean sweep in her events but had fallen agonisingly short until Sunday.

Gu's sixth Olympic medal in freestyle skiing takes her clear of a tie with Canada's Mikael Kingsbury and China's Xu Mengtao.

"I'm the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female," she said. "I have the most gold medals ever, male or female.

"That's a testament to competitive strength, it's mental strength. It's being able to perform under pressure, it has nothing to (do with) if you're a boy or a girl."

Speaking through tears at her press conference later, Gu spoke powerfully about the influence of her late Chinese grandmother.

"The reason I was late (to the press conference) is that I just found out that my grandma passed away, and she was a really big part of my life growing up, and someone I looked up to immensely," said Gu.

"She inspired me so much. The last time I saw her, before I came to the Olympics, she was very sick, so I knew that this was a possibility.

"I didn't promise her that I was going to win, but I did promise her that I was going to be brave, like she has been brave."

K.Hill--AT