Eileen Gu Opens Up About Her Mission Heading Into Milan Cortina Games

The freestyle skier is gearing up for the global stage by reflecting upon her growth since her Olympic debut.

Eileen Gu / ADEK BERRY/Getty Images

After qualifying for the Milan Cortina Games last month, freestyle skier Eileen Gu is gearing up for the global stage by reflecting upon her growth since her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2022.

There, the 22-year-old athlete made history as the first freestyle skier to win three medals during a single Olympic Games. She went home with two gold medals (in the women’s freeski big air and women’s freeski halfpipe events) and a silver (in the women’s freeski slopestyle event). Gu, who will once again represent the People’s Republic of China, took to Instagram this afternoon to share some thoughts ahead of her second Olympic games.

“Coming into my second Olympics as the same person in many ways, and also changed in some others,” Gu wrote in the caption of her Feb. 3 post. “At my core, the mission remains the same - to introduce freeskiing to more young people (especially girls), to push women’s skiing and represent it honorably on the world stage, and to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience (every Olympics is a once in a lifetime experience).”

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Gu went on to state that she has recently discovered a newfound love for her sport and is approaching this month’s global competition “with a new sense of lightness.”

“Now, I feel this renewed sense of infatuation with skiing itself, with competing for the sake of sportsmanship and Olympic values, and with the art and craftsmanship that is inherent to this sport,” she continued. “No matter what results follow, I am here to have the most fun and be fully present in this experience.”

Gu’s post featured a photo of the professional athlete posed against an Olympic ring backdrop, a photo of her younger self, and among other snaps, a journal entry from December 2025 in which she wrote about her state of mind following her 19th World Cup win, which she secured at China’s Secret Garden.

Plenty of the athlete’s 2.1 million followers chimed into the comments section of her post to wish Gu well ahead of the Milan Cortina Games. Both men’s and women’s freeski slopestyle events will commence on Saturday, Feb. 7.

“Same core, renewed spirit. You look radiant, and your words feel even brighter,” one person wrote. “Have all the fun in the world out there! We’re with you.❤️🥰😘✨⭐️.”

“Your courage and consistency inspire so many young athletes around the world,” another fan added. “2026 is going to be special ✨❤️.”

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