Sawt Falasteen - Eileen Gu switches slopes for catwalk after Olympic flourish

China's freeski superstar started Sunday's women's halfpipe final with two silvers under her belt in Italy but yet to top the podium.

After fluffing her first run in dazzling sunshine in Livigno, Gu upped her game, soaring to gold.

Gu's sixth Olympic medal means she is now the most decorated freestyle skier in the history of the Winter Games, taking her clear of a tie with Canada's Mikael Kingsbury and Chinese teammate Xu Mengtao.

The 22-year-old was the darling of the Beijing Olympics four years ago, where she won two gold medals and a silver, and she came to the Milan-Cortina Games seeking a clean sweep.

Gu came up just short in slopestyle and big air before finally clinching top spot in the Italian Alps on Sunday.

The US-born freeskier said she was proud of her achievements after taking a "gamble" by entering three events -- she had not competed in big air for four years.

"I have done something that I took a big risk in trusting myself and I'm glad that I did," she said at her post-competition press conference

"I walk away as the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female. I have the most gold medals of any freeskier ever, male or female.

"And that is something that I'm so, so proud of. It's unbelievable to me. It's still surreal."

When asked what sets her apart, Gu said she is "not afraid to try".

"I take big risks," she said. "And for the last two Olympics, it's worked out. But even if it hadn't, I think I left nothing on the table."

- Star billing -

Gu is one of the few athletes at the Winter Games who transcends her sport, placing her on a similar level to US alpine star Lindsey Vonn.

Her impact in Beijing was such that she featured in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

Last year she was fourth on the list of the highest-earning woman athletes, according to Forbes -- the vast majority of that earned through endorsement deals.

Gu's social media numbers confirm her global reach -- three million Instagram followers and 14 million likes on TikTok.

And the posts also give an insight into a dizzying, action-packed life that features skiing, studying at Stanford and a fashion career.

Now that competition is over, it's time for a change of gear.

"It's fashion week in Milan," Gu said. "I have the other job, the other fashion thing.

"I'm really excited to just explore some other avenues, be creative, and explore my femininity through fashion, which is something I've always loved, and to kind of put that in juxtaposition with skiing and with sports.

"And I think they co-exist so beautifully and so I hope to represent that next week in Milan."

Long term, her aim is to do something with "global beneficial impact".

"Right now, I'm young, I'm energetic," she said. "My body is like physically as capable as it can be compared to, you know, 30 years down the line.

"So it makes the most sense for me to do that through the avenues that I'm exploring now, fashion, sport, and skiing."

Despite her success, Gu is no stranger to controversy.

She started her sporting career representing the United States, only to switch allegiance to China -- where her mother is from -- in 2019.

That decision has divided opinion in her country of birth.

The athlete gave an interesting insight into the pressure she is under earlier at the Milan-Cortina Games, saying she feels she is "carrying the weight of two countries on my shoulders".

But she is confident that representing China gives her the platform to achieve her goals, pointing to a huge growth of interest in snow sports.

"There are kids in China, there are girls in China whose lives are going to be touched by the beautiful and wonderful power of sport," she said.

"So that in and of itself is absolutely measured impact that I think I had always wanted. I reached that goal and I exceeded it."

O.Farraj--SF-PST