LIVIGNO, Italy — Eileen Gu, pictured at the bottom of the halfpipe, had just won her third medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics, her first gold and the sixth Olympic medal of her career, becoming the most decorated freeskier of all time.
At this moment, she turned on her phone and saw the news-grandma Gou Zhenfeng passed away.
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“She was a very important part of my growing up and someone I respect a lot,” Gu later told a news conference, while apologizing for his tardiness.
Gu described her grandmother as a warrior and said her middle name, Feng, was in honor of her.
“A lot of people spend their entire lives sailing,” Gu said. “This woman is a ship.”
While participating in these competitions, Feng was ill, Gu said. Gu understands that their last visit will likely be the last time she sees her. Gu didn’t promise to win gold, but she did win gold in the women’s halfpipe on Sunday, in addition to silver medals in slopestyle and giant aerial events. But Gu did promise her to be brave.
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“I’m really happy that I was able to stick with this and hopefully make her proud, but it’s a very difficult time for me right now as well, so I apologize for being late, but that’s what’s happening,” Gu said.
Gu, 22, was born in the United States but represents China. A native of the Bay Area, she attended Stanford University during her non-Olympic years and her modeling career flourished.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aileen Gu learns her grandmother died after winning gold at the 2026 Olympics