- Eileen Gu made history after winning two silver medals and becoming the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic history.
- The athlete had a viral reaction to a reporter who asked whether she thought her medals were “two silvers gained or two golds lost” during a press conference on Feb. 16.
- “The two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think, is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take,” she said.
We’re sending our congrats to five-time Olympic medalist Eileen Gu, who made history when she won two silver medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics. She officially became the most decorated female freeskier in Olympic history after winning second place in the freeski slopestyle event on February 16. During a press conference following the event, a reporter asked Eileen whether she considered her new medals “two silvers gained or two golds lost,” and, dear reader, she had the most iconic response.
“I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that’s an answer in and of itself,” she said, after laughing into the microphone. “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?”
Eileen added, “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.”
The 22-year-old athlete, who was born in the U.S. but has competed for China since 2019, also addressed the backlash she’s faced for not competing on behalf of Team USA.
“I’m here because I want to be, not just because it’s the default option for me. I’ve said if I wanted to retire and feel good about myself for the rest of my life, I could, but I don’t because I love this sport now more than ever,” Eileen shared of her Olympics experience. “The feeling of pushing past who I was yesterday and becoming a little bit better tomorrow is something that is truly addictive and something that I’m so in love with. I think last Olympics was an opportunity and this Olympics is a privilege.”
ICYMI, Eileen won two gold medals and a silver medal during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. After her two silver wins at the Milan Cortina Games, she’s set to compete for a third medal at the freeski halfpipe event on Thursday, February 19. Here’s hoping she gets on the podium again!
