02/09/26 07:17:00
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02/09 07:16 CST Gremaud again denies Gu an Olympic gold medal in freeski
slopestyle
Gremaud again denies Gu an Olympic gold medal in freeski slopestyle
LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) --- Mathilde Gremaud has successfully defended her Olympic
freeski slopestyle title and denied Eileen Gu a gold medal for a second
straight Winter Games.
Gremaud won Monday's final with a score of 86.96 from her best of three jumps,
while Gu again took silver behind her Swiss rival with a best jump of 86.58.
Gu needed a huge score on her final run when she had one last chance to better
Gremaud, but that run barely lasted. Gu skittered off the first rail and
toppled to her side, dashing her title hopes.
Knowing she had locked up the gold after Gu fell, Gremaud tied a Swiss flag
around her neck and wore it like a cape as she cruised down the course on her
victory lap.
Gremaud, who turned 26 the day before the final, has now beaten Gu twice in
Olympic finals by the slightest of margins: 0.33 points in 2022, and 0.38 in
2026.
Canada's Megan Oldham claimed bronze.
Gu was undone by the same rail where she fell during Saturday's qualifying,
which was topped by Gremaud. In qualifying, Gu's first jump ended in mere
seconds when she fell off the rail. And two days later, on her last jump, it
was the same result: Gu tumbling into the snow.
Gu, who was born in America but competes for China, became a global star at the
2022 Beijing Games where she won three medals, including gold in freeski
halfpipe and big air. She will now turn to defending her titles at these Games.
In slopestyle, skiers perform acrobatic tricks while skiing over rails and
jumps that are judged for difficulty and execution. In the final, the best
score of the three jumps counts.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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