Eileen Gu Qualifies for Milano Cortina 2026, Shares Impressive Footage on the Slopes

The 22-year-old freestyle skier will look to add to her collection of medals at the global games in February.

Eileen Gu / JC Olivera/Variety/Getty Images

Today, Jan. 15, Eileen Gu announced to her 2 million Instagram followers that she is “officially” heading to Milano Cortina 2026. The 22-year-old freestyle skier—who notched three medals in her first Olympic appearance in Beijing in 2022—will head to Italy to compete in next month’s festivities, which will be on Feb. 6 and wrap just over three weeks later on Feb. 22.

“OFFICIALLY OLYMPIC QUALIFIED🥹❤️,” Gu penned over a 14-second clip, which showcased her gravity-defying skills on the slopes. In the background played Ian Asher and Olly Alexander’s “Desire” as the reel continued, before it ultimately concluded with the athlete giving the camera a subtle wave.

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Fellow athletes cheered Gu on in the post’s comments, including race car driver Lindsay Brewer, who penned, “So proud of you always!” and professional tennis player Ana Bogdan, who added a trio of hearts in a comment of her own.

And while Gu’s stint at Milano Cortina 2026 marks her second Olympic Games, she recently revealed in an interview with the global contest that she is approaching the upcoming competition like it’s her first.

“Every Olympics, I think, is going to be really different. I’ve only competed in one Olympics, but I did do YOG, Youth Olympics (at Lausanne 2020), before, and each of those experiences was so special and also entirely different from one another,” Gu told Milano Cortina 2026 exclusively in June, when asked about what excites her most regarding her upcoming sophomore stint. “So I’m going into it with a fresh mind, a rookie spirit, and just going to do the best that I possibly can and see what comes out of it.”

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During her first games in 2022, Gu secured a trio of medals—two gold and one silver. She tallied the second-place metal during the Women’s Freeski Slopestyle, and came in first in another two events, the Women’s Freeski Big Air and the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe.

Per NBC Olympics, Gu’s rookie appearance at the global content also made history, when the Forbes 30 under 30 honoree became “the first athlete to win three freestyle skiing medals at a single Olympics,” following her trio of feats. She also cemented some major feats in 2025 alone, including a No. 4 spot on Sportico’s “Highest-Paid Female Athletes” list (earning  $23 million in endorsements and another $20,000 in prize money, the outlet reported). In December, Gu further cemented her name in the record books as the inaugural Snow League champion, founded by five-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist Shaun White.

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