Eileen Gu, at the age of 20, has grown to be a youth icon with her many glistening career moments. At age 18 Gu became the youngest-ever Olympic champion in freestyle skiing competing at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. That however was just the beginning for the half-pipe champion who trod ahead to embrace the role of a Stanford student and a fashion model, all while extending her accolades list.

As of January 2024, Eileen Gu has accumulated 8 gold medals across the Olympics, X Games, World Championships, and Winter Youth Olympics. One of these, Gu secured on the 27th as she freestyled through Aspen. However, the path toward it wasn’t an easy one; proving the excellence the 20-year-old adorned.

A challenging gold for Eileen Gu

On the 27th of January, Colorado’s Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen hosted the X Games 2nd day of the 27th edition. The grounds presented a comeback opportunity for the 20-year-old who had to sit out last year due to a knee ligament injury and a bone bruise. Determined not to let the pattern repeat this year, Eileen Gu took to the stages of Aspen despite suffering a right hip injury caused by training. “Had to dig deep for this one,” she says holding up the gold medal hung around her neck. “A heavy hit three days ago during training meant I could barely walk and was skiing with an unprecedented level of pain,” her further Instagram caption read.

Fighting through the pain nonetheless, Eileen landed back-to-back in her first run presenting her 94.66 points, and then a 95.66 for the third run. “Pain is temporary,” one of Gu’s Instagram carousels showed written on her hand. Abiding by it, Eileen remained for the love of the sport.

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A testament to athletes’ sacrifices

Following her win at the halfpipe, Eileen Gu was caught up for an interview with X Games. The youngster, speaking of the victory revealed everything skiing through pain meant for her and the athletes around. “I have never skied with pain like this before. Let alone compete,” she starts. “So I think that really is a testament not only to my love for the sport but also for the sacrifices that athletes make for it,” she further adds.

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For the 20-year-old, braving the pain presented a human self at its full potential. “It’s something incredible,” she remarks. However, by the end of the day, the she resorted to being bedridden and out of the slopestyle on Sunday. Until further plans unfold, Eileen Gu’s current list reads her wish to represent China at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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