Gu Ailing fans temporarily crashed China’s leading social media platform on Tuesday, as tens of millions rushed online to celebrate the teenage freeski(自由式滑雪) sensation winning her first gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Gu, 18, jumped into the top position at the women’s big air competition with her third run, scoring 94.5 with a 1620 and a perfect landing. She made her total score 188.25, a combined score from her first run and the third in the event’s debut(首秀) at the Winter Olympics. She beat out France’s Tess Ledeux, who took silver with a score of 187.50. Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud won the bronze with a score of 182.50.
“That was the best moment of my life. The ▲ moment, day, whatever—of my life. I just cannot believe what just happened,” said Gu after her win, according to the Olympic site. “The tears were mostly of joy, that I had pushed myself to the absolute limit.”
“Even if I didn’t land it, I felt it would send a message out to the world and hopefully encourage more girls to break their own boundaries,” she added. “That was my biggest goal going into my last run. I reminded myself to have fun and enjoy the moment and that, no matter what, I was so grateful to even have this opportunity to even be here.”
Fans filled the stands to cheer for Gu, who was born in the United States to a Chinese mother and US father and decided in June 2019 to compete for China. Known as the “snow princess” among her fans, Gu—already a world champion—has saw her popularity skyrocket(飞涨) in the lead-up to the Games.
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