How Elieen Gu honored the loss of her grandmother after second Olympic halfpipe title

How Erin Gu commemorates the loss of her grandmother after winning second Olympic halfpipe title originally appeared on Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.

On Sunday, Gu Ailin was shouldering the pressure of defending her Olympic title in a day-delayed event, fueling even more anticipation. In the end, she won the gold medal again.

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Gu won the women’s freeski halfpipe final, one of the last events of the 2026 Winter Olympics, to claim her third career Olympic gold medal and her third overall medal in Milan. Later, Ms. Gu held a microphone and accepted an interview with reporters with tears in her eyes.

She shared that after Sunday’s win, Gu learned that her grandmother had passed away, detailing how she “was a big inspiration to me.”

Here are Gu’s emotional moments after winning his third Olympic medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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After learning the news of her grandmother’s death, Gu Ailin shed tears

On Sunday, Gu won the gold medal in the women’s freestyle halfpipe with a best score of 94.75 in her final event. She was one of two Chinese skiers on the podium, with Li Fanghui finishing second.

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After much anticipation, it was a major achievement for Gu, who defended her title in the event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She went on to build her own trophy case, becoming the most decorated freestyle skier in history.

However, at the moment after the victory, Gu spoke with tears in his eyes. She shared that she had just learned that her grandmother Feng Guozhen had passed away.

“I just learned that my grandma passed away. She was a very important part of my growing up and someone I respect very much. She was a fighter,” Gu Qiang said, holding back tears. “A lot of people just sail through life, but she was a ship. Like, this woman took control of life, she took the reins of it and turned it into what she wanted it to be.”