How Elieen Gu honored the loss of her grandmother after second Olympic halfpipe title

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How Elieen Gu honored the loss of her grandmother after second Olympic halfpipe title originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Eileen Gu came into Sunday with pressure on her shoulders to defend her Olympic title in an event that was postponed a day, creating even more anticipation. In the end, she claimed gold once again.

Gu won the women’s freeski halfpipe final, one of the last events at the 2026 Winter Olympics, claiming the third Olympic gold of her career and also her third overall medal in Milan. Afterward, Gu took the microphone to speak with reporters with tears in her eyes.

She shared that after her victory Sunday, Gu learned that her grandmother had died, detailing how she had "inspired me so much."

Here's a look at Gu's emotional moment after her third Olympic medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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Eileen Gu tears up after learning about grandmothers passing​

With her best score of 94.75 coming on her final run, Gu secured gold in the women's freestyle halfpipe event on Sunday. She was one of two Chinese skiers to reach the podium, as Li Fanghui finished in second.

After plenty of anticipation, it was a significant achievement for Gu, as she defended her throne in the event from the 2022 Bejing Games. She continued to build her trophy case as the most decorated freestyle skier in history.

However, in the moments after her victory, Gu opened up with tears in her eyes. She shared that she had just found out her grandmother, Guozhen Feng, died.

"I just found out that my grandma passed away. She was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely. She was a fighter," Gu said, fighting tears. " A lot of people just cruise through life, but she was a steamship. Like, this woman commanded life, and she grabbed it by the reins, and she made it into what she wanted it to be."

"She was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely."

Eileen Gu was dealing with the recent passing of her grandmother while winning her 2nd straight Olympic halfpipe gold medal. pic.twitter.com/jCtD22kkgr

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 22, 2026

Gu continued, detailing why her grandmother "inspired" her.

"The last time I saw her before I came to the Olympics, she was very sick, so I knew that this was a possibility. I didn't probably say that I was going to win, but I did promise her that I was going to be brave," Gu said. "Like she has been brave. That's why I keep referring to this theme of like, betting on myself and being brave and taking risks. It actually goes back to that promise that I made my grandma.

And so, I'm really happy that I was able to uphold that, and hopefully do her proud. But it's also a really difficult time for me now."

How many medals did Eileen Gu win at Winter Olympics?​

Gu secured three medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics. One of them was gold, while the other two were silver.

The freestyle skier's gold medal came in the halfpipe event, while she was the runner-up in the big air and slopestyle events.

Gu's stint in Milan brought her career Olympic medal count to six, as she won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

MORE:Eileen Gu's full results, highlights from women's halfpipe event

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