China's freestyle skiing superstar Gu Ailing made a triumphant return to Olympic competition this week, snagging silver in the women's big air final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games! 🥈 The 22-year-old, who hadn't competed in major big air events since her gold-medal victory at Beijing 2022, scored 179.00 points – just 1.75 points behind Canada's Megan Oldham.
🔥 "I went in without big expectations – just wanted to ski my best after four years away," Gu told reporters with her signature grin. The Livigno Snow Park showdown was delayed by wild winds and heavy snow ❄️, but fans cheered wildly as Gu landed her signature switch 1440 move.
This medal adds to China's growing Winter Games haul, coming just days after Gu's slopestyle silver. And there's extra sparkle to this win – today marks the start of the Chinese New Year! 🐎 "I hope everyone gallops toward success this Year of the Horse!" she tweeted to her 12M followers post-event.
With her dual silver medals and viral social media presence, Gu continues to be China's snow sports icon – proving you can take the athlete out of competition, but not the competition out of the athlete. 💪
