Gu Ailing competes in the women's freeski slopestyle final on February 9, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. Photo: Xinhua

Star skiing athlete Gu Ailing won a silver medal for the Chinese delegation at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Monday by delivering a solid performance in the women's freeski slopestyle in Livigno, Italy.

Gu, who made a strong comeback in the qualifications after a challenging first run with only 1.26 points on Saturday, scored a leading 86.58 points in her first run highlighted by a switch 900 tail grab, followed by a left-side double cork 1080 tail grab, and finishing with a right-side double cork 1260 safety grab.

After a second-run glitch, Gu's chance at bettering her result vanished when she fell on the first rail of her third and final run.

Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland, a three-time Olympian and the defending champion in the discipline, finished 83.60 points to rank in the first run before improving to 86.96 points in the second run. Megan Oldham of Canada rounded up the podium with a best-of-three-run 76.46 points.

In her post-race interview, Gu expressed deep satisfaction with her performance, despite settling for silver. 

"I really skied to the absolute best of my ability today. That run was the best slopestyle I've ever done in my life, and I know it was also Mathilde's best set of jumps," she said. "We have been competing against each other for the past four years, pushing one another every time. To land our absolute best runs under the highest pressure at the Olympics, I'm really happy about that."

She highlighted the technical difficulty of her performance, noting the broadcaster's commentary. 

"The announcer even said that my rail tricks were the most difficult set ever done by a woman in slopestyle history," Gu said. "Being able to represent this sport, to bring more people into it, and to achieve my personal best, that makes me incredibly proud."

Wearing a white ski suit patterned on blue-and-white ceramics and incorporating dragon designs to the Milan Cortina Olympics, Gu, a double Olympic gold medalist who also won a silver medal in freeski slopestyle at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics with just 0.33 points behind Gremaud, will continue to compete in the women's freeski big air and halfpipe.

Gu Ailing competes in the women's freeski slopestyle of the freestyle skiing competition at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Livigno, Italy, on February 9, 2026. Photo: VCG

Another Chinese skier, Liu Mengting, a 21-year-old Olympic debutant, scored 67.46 points in her first run in the finals, surpassing her 55.10 points in the qualification run. She did not improve in the following runs in the finals.

Liu, who will also compete in the women's big air, became a two-time gold medalist at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin in 2025 in both big air and slopestyle. 

China's 19-year-old Han Linshan, who is also competing in her first Olympics, skipped the freeski slopestyle finals due to injury. She ranked fifth overall in the qualifications with 62.98 points.

In a social media post announcing her withdrawal, Han expressed regret over the decision while remaining hopeful for her recovery and future events. 

"It's really unfortunate, but due to physical injury, I have no choice but to withdraw from the competition," she wrote. 

"All the hard work and preparation during this period will stay etched in my heart. I want to thank my coaches and everyone for their care and support."

She added a note of optimism about her upcoming schedule: "I'll focus on proper treatment now. I hope I can still compete in the big air event."

The freeski slopestyle final featured 12 competitors, each performing three runs, with the best single-run score determining the rankings.

In slopestyle, athletes navigate a course with a variety of obstacles, including rails and various jumps, and are judged on the breadth, originality, and quality of their stunts.

Elsewhere at the Olympics on Monday, in the men's speed skating 5000m finals at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, 19-year-old Chinese skater Liu Hanbin finished 17th with a time of 6 minutes and 24.25 seconds. 

This result marked a significant improvement for China in the event, surpassing the previous national best of 24th place set by Liu Yanfei at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics. 

Liu's performance represented a major step forward for Chinese speed skating in long distance, a discipline where the country has historically lagged behind global leaders.

Meanwhile, in the men's singles luge competition at the Cortina Sliding Centre, China's Bao Zhenyu concluded his Olympic debut with a 24th-place finish after three runs, posting a combined time of 2:44.227. 

This tied the best-ever result for a Chinese male luger at the Winter Olympics, matching previous national achievements in the event.