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Agence France-Presse

Eileen Gu said her mum fed her snacks and told her to “wake up and get it together” after a shocking first run from China’s freeski superstar in the slopestyle qualifiers put her Olympic dream in jeopardy.
Double Olympic champion Gu lost her balance on the first rail during her initial run at Livigno Snow Park on Saturday, scoring just 1.26 with the judges.
That put her under intense pressure, with the top 12 competitors progressing to Monday’s final based on the better of their two runs.
But she rescued herself in her second run, scoring 75.30 to climb into second place on the leaderboard.
Dressed in a white suit featuring Chinese dragon motifs, Gu punched the air and smiled as she drifted to a halt.

Defending champion Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland topped the list of qualifiers with a score of 79.15, navigating the obstacle-filled course in style.
US-born Gu, who switched allegiance to China in 2019, was hugged by her mum, Yan Gu, after her shocking first run on the sun-kissed slopes.
“We were both pretty just confused,” said the younger Gu. “So, she was, like, ‘Are you sleeping? Maybe you have like low blood sugar or something?’
“She gave me some snacks. She gave me, like, a date, you know, and like a dried apricot, so I ate that. And then she was, like, ‘Find some caffeine if you can. Wake up, get it together'.
“Because we both know that, you know, I have it.”

Gu, 22, was one of the stand-out stars at the Beijing Games four years ago, winning gold in the half-pipe and big air and taking silver behind Gremaud in the slopestyle.
Now the multitalented skier, who models and studies at Stanford, is aiming for a clean sweep of three golds in all of her events at the Milan-Cortina Games.
But those hopes were threatened just moments after the start of qualifying when she tumbled.
Gu admitted she was nervous before her second run and “sank deep” into herself.
“I went deep into the pit in my stomach and I found my flow state and I told myself that I have worked so ridiculously hard,” she said.
“It’s not that I love skiing, it’s that I’m obsessed with it. And I’ve lived and breathed this moment for the last year.”
She added: “I just told myself, ‘I trust myself, I love myself, I love this sport. I am the best. Like, I can land'.
“And so, by the time I got to the front of the gate, there was zero doubt in my mind that I was going to land – like, no doubt at all. I was totally calm, which is pretty amazing, because I went through like the five stages of grief first.”


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From big air to moguls and slopestyle, what to know about freestyle skiing at Winter Olympics

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Mum urges Chinese freeski star Eileen Gu to ‘wake up’, sparks Olympics comeback after fall

Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games

Eileen Gu was all smiles after eventually qualifying for the final in second place. Photo: AP

China’s Eileen Gu lost her balance on the first rail during her initial run on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

China’s Eileen Gu (right) is encouraged by her mother, Yan Gu, after falling during the women’s freestyle skiing slopestyle qualifications at the Winter Olympics  in Livigno, Italy on Saturday. Photo: AP

Hong Kong claim ‘incredible, beautiful’ gold medal at Asian Road Cycling Championships

The Hong Kong team (from left): Chloe Leung, Franco Chu, Ceci Lee, Vincent Lau, Yang Qianyu, Charles Ng and Herve Dagorne. Photo: Cycling Association of Hong Kong, China.

The victorious Hong Kong team (centre) with the Kazakh runners-up (left) and third-placed China. Photo: Cycling Association of Hong Kong, China

Ceci Lee (right) presents Yang Qianyu with a scrapbook of her career. Photo: Handout

Lam Siu-hang last Hongkonger standing at Asian Cup table tennis before bowing out

Hong Kong’s Lam Siu-hang beat world No 12 Xiang Peng in the last 16 of ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup in Haikou on Saturday before losing in the quarter-finals. Photo: Xinhua

Lin Shidong (right) shakes hands with Shunsuke Togami after the latter’s upset win. Photo: Xinhua

Wang Manyu took a step towards retaining her title after beating Shin Yubin of South Korea. Photo: Xinhua

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Double Olympic champion loses her balance during her initial run in the slopestyle qualifiers before recovering on the second go


Double Olympic champion loses her balance during her initial run in the slopestyle qualifiers before recovering on the second go.


Eileen Gu

Mum urges Chinese freeski star Eileen Gu to ‘wake up’, sparks Olympics comeback after fall

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Double Olympic champion loses her balance during her initial run in the slopestyle qualifiers before recovering on the second go

Double Olympic champion loses her balance during her initial run in the slopestyle qualifiers before recovering on the second go