Eileen Gu capped her 2026 Olympic run with a bang, as the Chinese freestyle skier won her first gold medal of the Milano-Cortina Games — and the third of her storied career — in the women's halfpipe final on Sunday.
After successfully defending her 2022 halfpipe crown, Gu has now medaled in every Olympic event she's ever attempted, earning three gold and three silver medals at the age of 22.
"The reason I love the records so much is that it's not about man or woman," Gu said. "I'm the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female."
The San Francisco-born freeski star has become the relatively new Olympic sport's premier global ambassador, entering the 2026 Winter Olympics as its highest-paid athlete while opting to compete for her mother's homeland of China — a choice that ruffled some political feathers.
"Somebody who grew up in the United Sates of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America," Vice President JD Vance told Fox News. "So, I'm going to root for American athletes."
"So many athletes compete for a different country… people only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity," Gu said in response. "And also, because I win. Like, if I wasn't doing well, I think that they probably wouldn't care as much, and that's OK for me."
Swiss freestyle skier Mathilde Gremaud successfully defended her Olympic slopestyle gold on Monday, scoring 86.96 on her second run to claim the 2026 Winter Olympics title.
Eileen Gu took silver with a score of 86.58, losing out to Gremaud for the second straight Winter Games.
Gremaud dominated the final despite intense pressure. The 24-year-old nailed her winning run on her second attempt, later wrapping a Swiss flag around her neck for a victory lap as she celebrated her fourth career Olympic medal.
Gu led after the first run with a clean routine, before wobbling off the rail on her second attempt. The mistake resulted in a low score. China's freestyle star needed a massive final run to overtake Gremaud, but subsequently skittered off the first rail and toppled to her side, dashing her gold medal hopes.
The rail section proved problematic for Gu throughout the competition. She fell on the same obstacle during Saturday's qualifying round. barely advancing to the final after executing her second attempt perfectly.
Gremaud's collection now includes four Olympic medals, after also taking big air bronze in Beijing and winning slopestyle silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The two-time slopestyle world champion (2023, 2025) is continuing her dominance in Milan.
Gu now turns her focus to defending her Olympic titles in halfpipe and big air. The 22-year-old US-born skier won three medals at the 2022 Winter Games, including gold in both events.
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu will defend her titles at the 2026 Winter Olympics this weekend, competing in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air. But the 22-year-old San Francisco native, who represents China internationally, has also emerged as the Winter Games' highest-paid athlete.
According to Sportico, Gu brought in approximately $23 million in 2025, making her the world's fourth-highest-paid women's sports athlete and topping all Winter Olympic competitors. However, just $100,000 of her earnings came from skiing. Endorsement deals with Red Bull, Porsche, and Tiffany, plus Chinese companies like Anta Sports and TCL, account for the vast majority of her income.
“There is a massive audience out there for a Chinese athlete with global appeal,” former US Olympic Committe CMO Rick Burton told Sportico.
“Gu checks all the marketability boxes and has so much going for her. Cross-cultural appeal, Olympic champion, young and dynamic.”
Eileen Gu made history in 2022 as the first Olympic freestyle skier to medal three times. In Beijing, she captured gold in big air and halfpipe while also winning silver in slopestyle. At just 18, she became the youngest-ever Olympic freestyle skiing champion.
In January 2025, Gu achieved her 20th career World Cup victory at the Laax Open, becoming the first-ever freestyle skier to reach the milestone. Now she shoots for Olympic slopestyle gold — the only medal that's eluded her.
Off the slopes, Gu studies international relations at Stanford University, where she also takes quantum physics classes. She also models for major brands including Louis Vuitton and Victoria's Secret, contributing to her growing income.
How to watch Eileen Gu at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Gu opens her Olympic campaign on February 7th with slopestyle qualifiers. She next competes in big air on February 14th and halfpipe on February 19th.
All events will air live across Peacock and NBC.
The 2026 Winter Olympics have officially arrived. After years of planning, the world's best on snow and ice are descending upon Northern Italy for the Milano-Cortina Games.
And in addition to all the normal reasons to celebrate, the 2026 Olympics will feature a record-breaking 47% participation rate for women's sports athletes — the largest in Winter Games history.
From the streets of Milan to the peaks of Cortina d'Ampezzo, here is everything you need to know about the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Basics: 2026 Winter Olympics Schedule in Milano-Cortina
Dates
The Winter Olympics schedule runs from February 6th through February 22nd, 2026, with preliminary ice hockey matches beginning February 4th.
Location
The Winter Games will take over Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, with additional venues in Valtellina, Val di Fiemme, and Anterselva.
Time Difference
Italy is six hours ahead of New York (ET) and nine hours ahead of Los Angeles (PT).
Opening and Closing Ceremonies
The Opening Ceremony takes place on February 6th at Milan's San Siro Stadium, with the Closing Ceremony capping things off at the historic Verona Arena on February 22nd.
Women's Sports Stars and Storylines Headlining the Winter Olympics Schedule
From figure skating to ice hockey, here are the buzziest Olympic names and most compelling narratives playing out in Milan.
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA, Alpine Skiing)
The sport's undisputed GOAT enters the 2026 Games as the winningest alpine skier of all time. And after a dominant 2025 season, Mikaela Shiffrin has emerged as the gold-medal favorite in both the Slalom and Giant Slalom events. According to the Winter Olympics schedule, alpine skiing runs February 8th through the 22nd at Cortina's Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Tune in to see if she can add to her growing legacy as the most decorated skier in history.
Lindsey Vonn (USA, Alpine Skiing)
The most talked-about comeback in sports is finally hitting the Olympic stage. At 41, Lindsey Vonn has overcome the odds — and a partial knee replacement — to return to the slopes in winning fashion. To complicate matters, Vonn tore her ACL just last week, but the five-time Olympian says she'll still compete despite the injury. Regardless of her performance in Milan, her presence alone has already redefined perceptions of veteran athletes in high-impact sports.
Chloe Kim (USA, Snowboarding)
25-year-old Team USA favorite Chloe Kim is chasing a historic three-peat in the women's snowboard halfpipe. Already the first women's snowboarder to win back-to-back golds in the event, Kim remains the technical standard-bearer for the sport — though her performance in Milan might hinge on her health, as she continues to recover from a recent shoulder injury. The snowboarding competition runs February 8th through the 16th in Livigno.
Eileen Gu (China, Freestyle Skiing)
Following a triple-medal performance in Beijing, China's Eileen Gu returns to the Games as a global icon. With high marks in Halfpipe, Slopestyle, and Big Air, the 22-year-old remains one of the most versatile — and promising — threats on powder.
Amber Glenn (USA, Figure Skating)
Known for explosive athleticism, captivating storytelling, and a powerful triple Axel, Amber Glenn is a cornerstone of the US figure skating team. Becoming the first openly queer woman to win a senior US title after picking up gold at the 2026 US Championships, Glenn's journey to the 2026 Games makes for especially good TV and even better on-ice competition. Figure skating events take place February 7th through the 21st at Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Kaori Sakamoto (Japan, Figure Skating)
The reigning queen of consistency, Kaori Sakamoto is a widely expected contender in the women's figure skating field. Armed with immense speed and technical precision, the 25-year-old enters 2026 looking to add an elusive individual gold medal to her resume.
Women's Ice Hockey
Marking the first Winter Olympics of the PWHL era, expect rosters across the field to be deeper and more game-ready than ever before. Most storylines will undoubtedly revolve around Canada and Team USA's heated rivalry, led by longtime captains Hilary Knight (USA) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada).
But count on European powerhouses like Finland and Czechia to close the competitive gap thanks to the sport's overall professionalization. Women's ice hockey is set to take over the Winter Olympics schedule from February 5th through the 19th.
New Events Debuting at the 2026 Winter Games
The IOC introduced several new medal events this year, primarily in an effort to improve gender parity throughout the Games.
Ski Mountaineering (AKA Skimo)
A high-endurance sport that involves racing up mountains on skis using specialized skins for grip, covering steep terrain on foot, and cruising quickly through backcountry.
Women's Individual Large Hill (AKA Ski Jumping)
This February, women's sports athletes will additionally compete on the same high-altitude, long-distance jump hills as the men's event, moving beyond the traditional Normal Hill.
Women's Doubles Luge
This sled racing event features two women sharing a single sled, navigating an icy track at speeds exceeding 80 MPH.
Freestyle Dual Moguls
This freestyle skiing event showcases two athletes racing side-by-side down a mogul-studded slope, picking up points for speed, technical turns, and aerial tricks in a head-to-head knockout format.
How to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina
NBC and Peacock have signed on as the exclusive broadcasters of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Peacock will offer 24-hour livestreamed coverage of the complete Winter Olympics schedule, while NBC and USA Network subsequently handle primetime action as well as highlights.
US tennis star Coco Gauff continues to win off the court, with the 2025 French Open champion topping Sportico's list of the 15 Highest-Paid Female Athletes for the third consecutive year.
Fueled by $23 million in off-court endorsements, the $31 million earned by the 21-year-old world No. 3 WTA player edged out the $30 million total income that fellow tennis star and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka garnered in 2025.
Unsurprisingly, a full 10 athletes on the Sportico Top 15 list are tennis stars, a direct result of the fact that all four Grand Slams and the Masters 1000 tournaments boast equal prize money between the men's and women's competitions — a shift that began with the 1973 US Open.
That established expectation of gender equity in prize money has tennis far outpacing salaries in most other women's sports.
Also making the Top 15 are two LPGA golfers — world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (No. 15 on the Highest-Paid Female Athletes list) and US star No. 2 Nelly Korda (No. 7) — as well as popular Olympic skiier Eileen Gu (No. 4), WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark (No. 6), and USA gymnastics legend Simone Biles (No. 11).
Notably, Gu, Clark, and Biles as well as Venus Williams (No. 14) all proved the power of endorsements on this year's list, with nearly all of the quartet's earnings coming from sponsorship deals.