Updated Feb 7, 2022 - Sports

U.S.-born teen skier Eileen Gu wins Olympic gold in big air freestyle

Eileen Gu, the 18-year-old U.S.-born skier, won gold for China in the big air freestyle at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday morning local time.

Details: Gu achieved a career-first 1620 to score 94.50 for the win.

The big picture: The teenager was born in San Francisco to an American father and Chinese-born mother.

Gu announced in 2019 that she hoped that by representing China she would "inspire millions of young people where my mom was born," in Shanghai.
"Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations," she added.

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with further details on Gu's background.