Eileen Gu returns to scene of her Beijing Olympic triumphs – and wins again

Eileen Gu returned to the mountain where she enjoyed great success at the Beijing Olympics to capture the first Snow League title for freeskiing on Saturday.

Gu, the 22-year-old who won two golds and a silver at the 2022 Games, won all six of her head-to-head showdowns against other skiers whose runs in this new format are judged against each other in a set of best-of-three contests through three rounds.

For winning the first skiing event in Shaun White’s new half-pipe league, Gu takes home a US$50,000 first prize.

“I’m so happy we got to do the very first freeski Snow League here in China. It’s so special to share the podium with two of my teammates, as well,” Gu said.

Gu was part of an all-China podium, with Zhang Kexin finishing second and Li Fanghui in third.

Part of Gu’s motivation to ski for China was to get more girls in the country involved in her sport – an effort she said was having an impact.