Eileen Gu falls in Olympic halfpipe qualifying to jeopardize title defense

Defending champion Eileen Gu faces a tense battle to reach the Olympic freeski halfpipe final after falling during her opening qualifying run.

The 22-year-old clipped the lip of the halfpipe on her third trick in Italy.

That error dislodged her left ski and sent the Chinese superstar sliding to the bottom of the course.

Gu must now deliver a clean second run to finish in the top 12 competitors and progress to Saturday’s final.

Medal history and expectations

The San Francisco-born skier has already secured two silver medals at the Milan Cortina Games.

She finished second in both the slopestyle and big air disciplines earlier in the competition.

Gu boasts a formidable Olympic record, having medalled in all five of her events across these Games and Beijing 2022.

Four years ago, she became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Olympics, taking gold in the halfpipe and big air.

Gu defends record after ‘ridiculous’ question

Despite her continued podium success, the Stanford student has faced scrutiny regarding her failure to win gold so far in Italy.

When asked by a reporter on Monday if her recent results represented "two silvers gained or two golds lost", she dismissed the suggestion immediately.

"I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history, I think that’s an answer in and of itself," she said.

"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?"

The highest-paid athlete at these Games described the negative perspective on her silver medals as "ridiculous".

"I’m showcasing my best skiing, I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before so I think that is more than good enough."