1 . Team China’s teenage freeski superstar Gu Ailing had halfpipe gold wrapped up by her second run at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou. “I’ve never taken a victory lap before in my entire life, but this time I felt like I finally deserve it,” Gu told reporters after becoming the first athlete to win Olympic medals in all three freeski events. Her big victory at the 2021 X Games in Aspen, Colorado, where she won Big Air, halfpipe and slopestyle golds, increased the expectation level for her Olympic performance in Beijing.

Born in California to a Chinese mother, Gu began competing for China when she was 15 in 2019, stating her aim to inspire millions of young people during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and promote the sport she loves. Since then, the outstanding part-time model and grade-A student has been busy gaining records, titles and firsts. All the while her superstar status has snowballed, as evidenced by her millions of followers on social media.

The 18-year-old also clearly feels she has achieved much away from the sporting arena at Beijing 2022 and she has become the inspiration for many. “After reading hundreds of messages that I get every day from young girls saying that they go sking because of me and they want to keep going or they, you know, broke their boundaries in some other way and felt inspired by something that I said, I feel all those little things are immensely rewarding.”

When asked about her future plan, she had no idea whether she would continue to compete in freestyle skiing. “I’m going to do whatever feels right, and hopefully I’ll be able to create some kind of positive change out of any position that I’m in,” said Gu.