Eileen Gu's exchange with reporter at Winter Olympics goes viral

LIVIGNO, Italy: Eileen Gu is one of the biggest names at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. That's obvious from how her answer to AFP's question about her performance at the Winter Games has gone viral.

China's freeski superstar came to Italy as one of the few athletes whose name transcends winter sports.

Gu, 22, was the darling of the Beijing Games on home soil four years ago, where she won two gold medals and a silver, making her the first freestyle skier to collect three medals at a single Winter Olympics.

She came to Livigno, in the Italian Alps, seeking to sweep the board but has so far missed out on gold, winning two silvers, in slopestyle and big air.

Following her second-placed finish in the big air event on Monday (Feb 16), AFP asked her in a press conference whether she considered it "two silvers gained or two golds lost".

Gu laughed off the question, pointing out that she is now the most decorated woman in Olympic freestyle skiing history.

"I think that's an answer in and of itself," said the skier. "How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete.

"Doing it five times is exponentially harder, because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else's expectations rise.

"The two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you I think is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take."

AFP's reporter in Livigno, John Weaver, said he had asked the question to try to get an insight into Gu's emotions after she lost her title.

"Top athletes in all sports have a fierce winning mentality and it's fascinating to gauge their reactions when they just miss out," he said.

"I was surprised by the tone of her reaction but I thought it was a fair question and she gave a robust response."

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