Gu jumping to defend Olympic gold in big air. Rival Gremaud out after hurting hip
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LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Freeskier Eileen Gu was set to go for her second straight Olympic gold medal in big air and second medal of the Milan Cortina Games on Monday night.
Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud, the 2022 big air bronze medalist and Gu’s top rival, was forced to miss the final. She injured her hip when she crashed in practice earlier Monday and was taken off on a stretcher. Gremaud beat Gu for slopestyle gold last week.
The final was delayed for over an hour due to a snowstorm.
The 22-year-old Gu hasn’t competed in a big air contest since winning the gold medal in Beijing four years ago. But there are enough similarities between big air and slopestyle, which features similar jumps, that Gu found her rhythm quickly.
She finished second in qualifying two nights ago. Afterward, she said she was upset because organizers didn’t make any accommodations for her to get a third practice session on the halfpipe, her final event.
The first of the three practices for the halfpipe, in which Gu also is the defending champion, took place at the same time as the big air final.
Gu, who was born in the United States but competes for her mother’s homeland of China, said she looked for time when she could make up for the lost session, but officials from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) would not accommodate her.
“I think being able to do something that’s beyond the ordinary should be celebrated instead of punished,” she said.
Gu was looking to repeat her feat from the Beijing Games, where she became the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at one Olympics.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
