Eileen Gu made history last week when she became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Olympics, capping a stunning performance in Beijing with a gold in the women’s halfpipe Thursday.
Gu, an 18-year-old Californian who is competing for China, won her first gold of the Games in the inaugural women’s freestyle skiing big air competition, introduced as part of the International Olympic Committee’s efforts to achieve gender parity at the Games. She also won a silver medal in the slopestyle event this past week.
The Beijing Games, which wrapped up Sunday, have been described by the IOC as the most "gender-balanced” Winter Games in history, with women accounting for a record 45% of the athletes. That’s up from 41% at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games — and 4.3% at the 1924 Games in Chamonix, France.