Eileen Gu Claps Back at Reporter’s Question Over ‘Two Golds Lost’ During Milan Cortina Games

Earlier this week, the athlete became the most decorated women’s freestyle skiing Olympian in history.

Eileen Gu / David Davies - PA Images/Getty Images

As of this week, Eileen Gu is the most decorated women’s freestyle skiing Olympian in history. The professional athlete, who is competing in the Milan Cortina Games for the People’s Republic of China, has five Olympic medals to date: two golds and a silver, which she secured during the 2022 Beijing Games, and two more silvers, earned in this year’s competition for both Big Air and Slopestyle events.

Following her recent record-breaking moment, a reporter asked Gu whether she sees her accolades from this year’s event “as two silvers gained or two golds lost,” and the 22-year-old San Francisco native immediately burst into laughter in response.

“I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history, I think that’s answer in and of itself,” she replied. “How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else’s expectations rise, right? And so the ‘two medals lost’ situation to be quite frank with you I think is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take. I’m showcasing my best skiing, I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before, and so I think that is more than good enough. But thank you.”

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The moment, which took place during a press conference in Italy on Monday, has since gone viral, and has been shared by outlets like Yahoo Sports and The Female Quotient, where the comment sections are filled with nothing but praise for Gu.

“Unbelievably intelligent and appropriate answer delivered with grace and poise. Amazing!” one user wrote underneath the latter brand’s post.

“She’s also the smartest in the room,” another fan noted. In addition to being an elite athlete, Gu is a student at Stanford University, where she is majoring in international relations.

“‘But, thank you.’👌🏼😄She literally gave him a life lesson - all with a big smile and total class & sass!🔥💖,” someone else observed.

“Has that question been asked to any male athlete? Asking for my homework,” an additional follower inquired.

“This, right here, is exactly the kind of example I want my girls to see,” one more user added.

With still more opportunity to add to her collection of medals, Gu will compete in the women’s halfpipe event later this week. The qualification run takes place tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 19, with the final to follow on Saturday, Feb. 21. Find the full schedule here.

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