ZHANGJIAKOU, China — Snow and wind pushed Sunday’s slopestyle competitors to a different day, delaying the medal hopes of China’s favourite Olympic athlete — 18-year-old freestyle skier Eileen Gu.
Gu, who grew up in California however competes for China, is a favourite in ladies’s slopestyle, the occasion the place opponents ski via a mountain course of rails and obstacles earlier than navigating a sequence of three massive jumps.
In a uncommon burst of winter at these Winter Olympics, snow and wind smothered the mountain venues on Sunday, delaying to a different day the ladies’s freeski slopestyle {qualifications} and sending staff scurrying to get venues prepared for competitors.
In a area that will get little snow, the outside Olympic venues — from Alpine snowboarding to cross-country snowboarding, the halfpipe to ski leaping — relied on main doses of synthetic snow.
When actual snow fell on Sunday, it created an uncommon sight: snow removing. Employees on the slopestyle course used shovels and blowers to maintain the snow from piling up on the obstacles and jumps. In some ways, organizers want synthetic snow, as a result of they will management it. When Mom Nature will get concerned, all plans are off.
Gu already has one gold medal, in massive air, earned in dramatic, come-from-behind style final Tuesday at an industrial park in western Beijing. Her win catapulted her to a different degree of fame and scrutiny. Afterward, she deftly answered questions from reporters for greater than an hour whereas swiping away probing queries about her citizenship standing.
The Olympics have a coverage that athletes have to be residents of the nation for which they compete, and China doesn’t enable twin citizenship.
Gu, whose mom was born and raised in China and who maintains deep ties to Beijing, is a ubiquitous determine right here. Her face graces commercials of all kinds and her exploits obtain fixed consideration on state-run information channels.
Slopestyle is an occasion that fits Gu, who confirmed technical prowess on the rails at a younger age, working with the U.S. nationwide workforce (she switched to China in 2019). She is a daring jumper, as her massive air victory demonstrated.
In a smattering of worldwide competitions over the previous yr, Gu has received or completed second in each slopestyle occasion. Her largest risk right here is prone to come from Kelly Sildaru of Estonia and Tess Ledeux of France. It was Ledeux who led the large air occasion till Gu’s remaining leap dropped her to silver.
Gu’s third and remaining occasion might be on Friday within the halfpipe, one other occasion she has dominated over the previous yr. Her recognition has soared already, and it’s arduous to think about simply how massive Gu might be if she manages to depart Beijing — on her manner again house to San Francisco — with three gold medals.
