Winter Olympics: Eileen Gu wins halfpipe gold, makes freeskiing history

On Friday at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Eileen Gu won gold in the women’s freeskiing halfpipe final, marking Gu’s third medal in Beijing. On Her Turf provided live updates and highlights as competition at Genting Snow Park unfolded.

8:30pm ET: And we’re off! Twelve athletes qualified into the final (start list below). Each athlete will take three runs, with their best score counting towards their final ranking.

8:32pm ET: Oof. VERY GUSTY conditions that athletes are detailing with today at Genting Snow Park. It’s also a mild 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

8:34pm ET: Here comes Team USA’s Carly Margulies, who has had such a journey just to reach these 2022 Winter Olympics. She has had a total of seven procedures to fix ACL tears, damaged meniscus and even one to fill existing holes in her knee. Her most recent surgery was just two months ago. Not the best run from Margulies, who falls midway through, but she has another two chances.

8:36pm ET: And here is Margulies’ U.S. teammate Hanna Faulhaber. Faulhaber has actually looked up to Margulies, who is seven years older, for most of her career. A few years ago, Margulies wrote her a note of support, and Faulhaber tacked it up on her wall to serve as inspiration. Both athletes are making their Olympic debut in Beijing. Faulhaber moves into first place with a strong first run (video below).

Strong run by Faulhaber!

Hanna Faulhaber takes first place early in windy conditions. She leads the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final with a score of 85.25!#WinterOlympics \ #WatchWithUS \ @TeamUSA