At the top of the hill, just before her final run in the Milano Cortina women’s freestyle big air final, 22-year-old Eileen Gu fixed her gaze on the bright, open space ahead. Her goal was straightforward: a solid score would secure a medal, but only an exceptional one would bring gold. She dropped in.
Launching off the lip, Gu executed a left-side double cork 1260—a sharp, dragonfly-like maneuver she had learned just the week before—grabbing the outside of her right ski and holding it deep through her rotations. She flew through the air with the clean, efficient style she’s known for, landing backward before letting out an elated, “What the heck?!”
Gu waited patiently for her score: 89.00. It was enough to move her into the silver medal position, which she celebrated with visible excitement. She hadn’t competed in big air since winning gold in Beijing four years ago at age 18. After the event, she hugged her large group of supporters, her mother Yan, Canadian gold medalist Megan Oldham, and even former International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, who had been cheering for her from the stands.
A few days before the Games began, Gu told me, “For this Olympics, the only thing I can hope is to land runs that I feel proud of.”
Born in San Francisco but competing for China, her mother’s homeland, Gu is a five-time medalist in freestyle skiing—the most decorated woman in the discipline’s history. In addition to her big air gold from Beijing, she won gold in halfpipe and silver in slopestyle there. In Italy, she added a silver in slopestyle.
Given her success in Beijing, one might assume Gu felt less nervous heading into Milano Cortina. That may have been partly true, but she spoke with such confidence and clarity that I wondered if she ever gets nervous at all.
“I don’t think I’ve ever really felt the external pressure. Even in China, the only thing I was thinking about outside of performing was hoping to inspire someone else to start skiing,” Gu said. “It’s funny—I remember the announcer before my big air run. He spoke twice, first in Mandarin, then in English. So I heard it twice: ‘Eileen Gu, what will she do? Where will she land? Hundreds of millions of people on the live broadcast now…’ I just thought, Oh my gosh, OK, I am going to turn up my music.”
Gu’s approach blends methodology, analysis, and psychology, all fueled by a sense of possibility—like learning that medal-winning trick just a week before. It’s her own formula, and it works. “Many people in the finals of an event can win it. But the people who stay on the podium, there’s a reason for that. I try to keep this in mind: nervous energy and excitement are the same biochemical in your body. You just have to tell yourself which one it is.”
Gu half-joked that her three favorite things are skiing, school, and fashion. She’s a Stanford senior majoring in international relations, currently taking the year off to train for Milano Cortina. Her brand partnerships include or have included Red Bull, Louis Vuitton, Luckin Coffee, and Tiffany & Co. She is also a model signed with IMG. “Fashion keeps me in touch with my femininity,” she explained. “Growing up in a male-dominated sport, I didn’t realize being treated equally as a girl was even an option until I discovered the fashion industry.” She added, “I think you can be really powerful and really feminine at the same time.”
When we spoke, the Spring 2026 couture shows had just ended. While Gu didn’t want to pick favorites, she shared some thoughts. “I thought Chanel was so fascinating. It was really wearable for couture. Did you see the diaphanous trousers that were meant to look like jeans, but were much lighter? I thought those were…”Those were really beautiful. And Jonathan Anderson’s debut at Dior was really good—an interesting show. In a lot of ways, they’re almost like opposites. I have so many thoughts.
Gu continued, “When I’m on set, in my fashion mindset, my body is recovering from training. When I’m at school, my mind is working and my body is resting. When I’m skiing, maybe my mind gets a break. I use each one as a kind of rest from the others. I think of it like background tasks running on a computer—something that’s always going. That’s how it feels, so I’m always doing something productive.”
Gu has one more event at Milano Cortina: the freeski halfpipe. Qualifying begins on Thursday, February 19, with the finals two days later. Many consider the halfpipe her strongest event, and as the only woman competing in all three freestyle disciplines at these Games, the media attention has been intense.
By now, though, Gu is used to it. She has a way of turning anxiety into motivation, almost like an algorithm in her mind. For 22, her maturity is medal-worthy in itself—and she has plenty of wide-open future ahead.
“I worried for a while that maybe I peaked at 18,” Gu said. “I don’t feel that way anymore.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about how Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu stays so calm designed to sound like questions from real fans and aspiring athletes
FAQs How Eileen Gu Stays So Calm
Beginner General Questions
Q Is Eileen Gu really that calm or is it just for the cameras
A By all accounts its genuine Coaches competitors and journalists consistently describe her precompetition demeanor as remarkably focused and serene even in the highpressure environment of the Olympics
Q Whats the main reason she can stay so calm under pressure
A There isnt one single reason Its a combination of intense preparation a strong mental routine and a perspective that views pressure as a privilege and competition as a celebration of her sport not a lifeordeath scenario
Q Does she ever get nervous
A Absolutely She has openly talked about feeling nervous The key is her ability to acknowledge those nerves and then use her mental tools to manage them not let them overwhelm her
Q Whats a simple tip from her that anyone can use
A Controlled breathing Before a run she uses specific breathing patterns to lower her heart rate and center her focus Taking three deep slow breaths is something anyone can do before a stressful moment
Advanced Detailed Questions
Q What specific mental techniques does she use
A She employs several highlevel techniques
Visualization She mentally rehearses every trick and section of her run in vivid detail countless times before she even gets on the snow
Compartmentalization She focuses only on the immediate task rather than the overwhelming whole
Positive SelfTalk She uses empowering mantras and focuses on what she can control
MindfulnessMeditation She practices staying present in the moment to avoid spiraling thoughts about past mistakes or future outcomes
Q How does her preparation contribute to her calmness
A