Winter Olympics: 'Snow Princess' Eileen Gu delivers ski big air gold for China

Known as China's 'Snow Princess', Eileen Gu clearly has ice in her veins. Under huge pressure to win her first Olympic gold medal at her home Games, the 18-year-old attempted and landed a 1620 — four and a half rotations — for the first time in her competitive career.

That Gu needed to debut the trick in the Olympic big air final, where she lay in the bronze medal position after two runs, was a measure of the expectations of the US-born teenager in China.

And her risk-taking paid off in style as she scored 94.50 in her third jump to beat France's Tess Ledeux — the only other woman to have achieved a 1620 in an event, including in the first run of Tuesday's final.

«I felt pretty confident [to try the 1620],» Gu told a packed media conference as she became China's youngest Winter Olympic gold medallist.

«I played piano for nine years so I have a sense of rhythm and all my tricks are about rhythm and change of tempo, and I visualise them.

»My motto is to break your own barriers. That is my character."

The crowd at Shougang Park — a former steelworks in western Beijing — included Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who was accompanied by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.

Her well-being has been a matter of global concern since she alleged on social media in November that former Chinese vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her.

Gu speaks confidently and fluently in both English and Mandarin, and answered all questions put to her — albeit some of them very diplomatically.

She said she was «happy Peng was here today» to watch her compete and was grateful she was «happy and healthy and out here doing her thing».

Then it was on to her nationality.

In 2019, Gu switched from representing the United States,