Olympics star Eileen Gu falls as she defends freeski halfpipe crown

The Chinese superstar has already claimed two silver medals in Italy

Defending Olympic champion Eileen Gu faces a tense second attempt in freeski halfpipe qualifying at the Milan Cortina Games, after a fall marred her initial run on Thursday night.

The 22-year-old, representing China, clipped the halfpipe's lip on her third trick, which dislodged her left ski and sent her skittering to the bottom of the course.

To advance to Saturday’s final, Gu must now execute a flawless, upright second run and secure a high enough score to place within the top 12 competitors.

Born in the United States, Gu boasts an impressive Olympic record, having medalled in all five of her previous events across these Games and Beijing in 2022.

She has already claimed two silver medals in Italy, finishing second in both slopestyle and big air, and has previously dismissed any suggestions that her failure to win gold was a disappointment.

Four years ago in China, Gu leapt to fame at age 18 when she became the first freestyle skier to win three medals in a single Games. She won gold in halfpipe and big air and silver in slopestyle.

Eileen Gu of Team People's Republic of China falls in the Women's Freeski Halfpipe Qualification 1 (Getty Images)

At a press conference on Monday, a reporter asked if she considered her two silver medal wins so far at the Winter Olympics as “two silvers gained or two golds lost.”

The American-born Team China star immediately laughed off the reporter’s question before firing back: “I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history, I think that’s an answer in and of itself.”

She continued, “How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else’s expectations rise, right?

“The two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take,” she said.

Gu clipped the lip of the halfpipe on her third trick, knocking her left ski off and sending her skittering to the bottom of the course (REUTERS)

“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, a Stanford student and a successful model in addition to being a freestyle skiing sensation, is the highest-paid Olympian at this year’s games, with Forbes reporting that she earned over $23 million in endorsements in the last year.