Great Winter Olympic rivalries: Ailing (Eileen) Gu and Kelly Sildaru in freestyle skiing

Freestyle skiing is lucky enough to have one potential all-time great, let alone two of them at the same time. Ailing (Eileen) Gu, 18, from the People’s Republic of China and Estonian Kelly Sildaru, 19, are both busy making history at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

It isn't their first Olympic experience though, since both competed – and won gold medals – at the Youth Olympic Winter Games Lausanne 2020.

Now with two competitions already in the bag, Gu has won gold in big air and silver in slopestyle, with Sildaru picking up bronze in the latter.

But who has the best chance of topping the podium when the Beijing 2022 halfpipe competition begins on Thursday 17 February at the Genting Snow Park?

Find out more about their origins, personalities, breakthroughs, latest results and mutual respect for one another.

One characteristic shared by Gu and Sildaru is their position as the biggest rising sports star of their nations.

Sildaru is the most popular Estonian sportsperson on Instagram, with 106k followers. “It’s really nice to have your country supporting you, but sometimes it can be hard if people know you well and recognise you on the street,” said the skier.

The main difference is that Gu, who holds dual citizenship, deals with expectations from two nations. “When I'm in the U.S., I'm American, but when I'm in China, I'm Chinese,” she told ESPN.com. “My whole message is that I want to make sports international."

Both athletes also enjoy their life away from the snow. Gu occasionally works as a model, while Sildaru is a vlogger on YouTube.

“I think it’s really important to have a well-rounded life, and to be able to do multiple different things. I enjoy doing it - I love it. I went to Paris Fashion Week in 2019