The 22-year-old has won two silver medals in Italy, while in 2022 she won two golds and one silver.
Controversial Winter Olympics skier Eileen Gu has polarized fans once again by shutting down a reporter who quizzed her on falling short of winning a gold medal.
The 22-year-old has won two silver medals in Italy, while in 2022 she won two golds and one silver.
While many tipped her to have claimed gold by now this time around, Gu’s overall medal tally of five has made her the most decorated women’s freestyle skiing Olympian in history.
Gu was asked after her second silver in the Big Air whether she views it as two medals gained or two golds lost, to which she had a defiant response.
Initially laughing at the question, Gu then explained: ‘I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that’s an answer in and of itself.
‘So the two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take.
‘I’m showcasing my best skiing, I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before so I think that is more than good enough. But thank you.’
Gu’s response split the internet, with her fans loving her answer but others thinking that she came across as sanctimonious.
‘Great response to a ridiculous question. Eileen is poised and mature beyond her age,’ one fan posted.
Another said in agreement: ‘Such an excellent answer to such a horrible question.
‘These journalists try to frame incredible achievements as “failure” without having an ounce of understanding of what it takes to be even on a stage where “failure” is a possibility.’
But a more critical perspective read: ‘Actually, it was a good question. Because she’s the most decorated freestyle skier, he wanted to know how she feels about not winning gold.
‘She answered it, but she could do it without trying to belittle him. There’s a lot of poor journalism out there, but this was not it.’
