Chinese freestyle skier Gu Ailing is set to win at least two silver medals at the 2026 Olympic Games in Cortina, Milan. If she can qualify for Saturday’s women’s ski halfpipe final, she will add another point to her total.
Gu, 22, enters the Games as a favorite to win multiple gold medals. Four years ago in Beijing, she won the women’s giant aerials and halfpipe events, while taking a silver medal in the slopestyle competition.
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Although the Milan Olympics ended without a large number of gold medals, Gu did not consider this a disappointing result. When asked on Tuesday if she considered her silver medals “two gold medals lost,” she laughed off the answer and offered her thoughts on career achievements.
“I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that in itself is an answer,” Gu said. “What should I say? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times will be more difficult because every medal is equally difficult for me, but everyone else’s expectations go up, right?
“So to lose both medals, I think that’s a ridiculous point of view, frankly. I’m showing my best skiing. I’m doing things I’ve never done before. So I think that’s good enough, but thank you.”
In addition to his five Olympic medals, Gu is a two-time world champion, a three-time X Games champion, and even won two gold medals at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics. Even at 22 years old, this is a very honorable career.
Gu’s hard work certainly paid off as she became the fourth-highest-paid female athlete in 2025, earning more than $23 million. According to Sportico, all but $20,000 of the $23 million came from endorsements. Not to mention, she received a total of US$6.6 million in remuneration from the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 for “striving for outstanding results in the qualifying rounds for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.”