After a whirlwind 2026 Milan Olympics, Eileen Gu ended her time in Italy by defending her half-pipe crown on the final day. She recovered from a poor opening round to top the standings, winning a record sixth Olympic medal. But behind Gu’s three medals was a demanding Olympic schedule that tested her endurance.

In a press conference after the win, Gu highlighted just how tough the last three weeks have been for her, as that is exactly what the Olympics demands from all the athletes.

“I think the hardest thing for me was maintaining my mental and also physical capacity throughout three weeks. I’ve been likening it to a marathon distance, but at the pace of a sprint, because e- I can’t let up. Every day is the Olympics. There’s no s… Like, there’s no day that I can tone the pace back a little bit because every day matters so much,” the 22-year-old said.

The freestyle skier has already been in the news for her comments about the tournament schedule, in which she said the organizers were “punishing excellence”. And Gu subtly hinted at that in the press conference, pointing to the fact that she’s the only “female athlete competing in all three events”.

She explained that she did not have time to prepare for the big air competition due to various factors. How her training sessions for the halfpipe were cut down as they overlapped with the big air final. Yet despite that, Eileen Gu ended up winning silver in the big air, despite not competing since 2022, and won gold in the half-pipe.

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“And I don’t say that in, like, a complaining way,” Gu added. “I choose to undertake these challenges, but with great pressure and responsibility also comes great triumph. You know, higher the reward and higher the s…The higher the stakes, the higher the reward. And so I think looking back on it, I’m proud that I made the decisions that I did. It was a big gamble. It was a big bet on myself.”

Eileen Gu’s first gold medal at the 2026 Olympics came while defending her half-pipe crown. That was despite earning just 30 points in her first run. But she picked herself up and bounced back with a sensational second that scored 94.0. Her teammate, Li Fanghui, and Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin attempted to chase her down, with the latter leading the charge.

But the two women finished with 93.00 and 92.50, which was only enough for a podium finish. However, Gu then improved upon her record by ending her third run with 94.75 to take the gold. 

Eileen Gu opens up on wanting to be the best in everything

That comes from Gu’s desire to be the best in everything she takes part in, and the freestyle skier has done exactly that. In an interview following her silver medal wins, Gu touched upon her desire to compete and win. It’s something that pushed her forward throughout her life.

“I just like being the best. I’ve always wanted to do that,” Gu said, as per the BBC. “I wanted to be the best at math when I was in kindergarten, and then I wanted to get into the best high school, and I wanted to have the highest SAT score, and then I wanted to get to the best college, and I wanted to be the best skier I could be.”

And Gu has achieved all of those goals along the way despite a few injuries and other issues along the way. The 22-year-old phenom ended her second Winter Olympics by becoming the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history (man or woman) with her sixth medal. That includes two golds and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, followed by three medals (two silver and a gold) in 2026.

It means that there’s no Winter Olympian like Gu, and the world seems to be her oyster. Because if her exploits as a skier weren’t enough, she effortlessly balances a thriving career as a model with her studies at Stanford University. Impressive, to say the least. What do you think? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.