OLYMPICS: Freestyle-China's Gu bounces back to cruise into halfpipe final

LIVIGNO, Italy — China's Eileen Gu recovered from an early mistake to secure a spot in the freestyle skiing halfpipe final on Thursday, keeping her hopes alive for another medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games.

Gu stumbled on her first run after clipping the edge of the U-shaped ramp, but delivered a clean and confident second attempt to earn a place among the finalists.

"I'm glad I was able to reinforce my sense of self-belief at the moment when it counted," she said, expressing relief after her comeback.

Twelve of the 21 competitors advanced to Saturday’s final, with Gu placing fifth. Britain’s Zoe Atkin, the 2025 world champion, topped the qualifiers, followed by China’s Li Fanghui.

Canada’s Cassie Sharpe, the 2018 halfpipe gold medalist and 2022 silver medalist, came in third during qualifying but suffered a crash on her second run, prompting immediate medical attention. The tense moments ended in relief as Sharpe was able to wave to the crowd while being taken off the course on a stretcher.

At 22, Gu has already claimed silver medals in slopestyle and big air at Milano Cortina, making her the most decorated woman in her sport’s Olympic history. The American-born athlete switched to compete for China in 2019 and previously won gold in big air and halfpipe, along with a slopestyle silver, at the 2022 Beijing Games.

In halfpipe competition, skiers glide across a U-shaped snow ramp while performing aerial tricks. Scores are awarded based on height, difficulty, and execution, with a maximum of 100 points. -Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Lisa Richwine, editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters