Eileen Gu named best performing female athlete of Beijing Winter Olympics, says winning 3 medals was ‘mind-blowing’
- Freestyle skier was one of the most dominant athletes of Beijing Games, winning gold in big air and half-pipe, plus silver in slopestyle
- After collecting her award the 19-year-old admitted she did not expect to leave with 3 medals, saying it was ‘absolutely mind-blowing’
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu admits she never really thought she would leave the Beijing Winter Olympics with three medals to her name and says her performance was still difficult to wrap her head around.
The 19-year old, who won gold in big air and half-pipe, plus a silver in slopestyle, capped an amazing year by being crowned Female Athlete of Beijing 2022 at the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Awards in Seoul.
Gu, who competed for China in Beijing, became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at the same Olympics. Short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon of South Korea, who claimed the first gold medal at the Winter Olympics, won the award for the best male performance at the Games.
“I am a very competitive person but I never would have dreamed that I would come away with three. It was absolutely mind blowing and still difficult for me, I guess, to wrap my head around,” Gu said after collecting her award.
“To be able to use this platform of mine to hopefully do some good in the world is my biggest goal. I am so grateful to ANOC and IOC for bestowing this award on me.”
