BEIJING: Eileen Gu turned the Beijing Olympics into her own personal playground.

In the city. In the mountains. Spinning, flipping and flying above three different venues.

The American-born Gu came into the Games hoping to win three gold medals in freestyle skiing while representing China, where her mother was born. She didn’t, but she did come away with two golds and one silver, making her the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at the same Olympics.

The 18-year-old Gu capped her global coming-out party on Friday by winning the gold medal in women’s halfpipe. She had such a big lead after two runs that she was able to take a carefree final run down the halfpipe.

“I was very emotional at the top and I chose to do a victory lap,” Gu said. “Because I felt like, for the first time, I like really deserved it and I really earned it.”

She won the gold medal in the Olympic debut of women’s freeski big air in front of an old steel mill in the city. She took the silver in slopestyle on the Secret Garden course, where elements were carved out of snow to resemble portions of the Great Wall. Finally, she dominated in the halfpipe.

Well known in China before these Games, she’s now a household name back in the United States and around the world. Part of that had to do with the criticism she received for competing for China rather than the United States.

But a lot of it was due to her skill, confidence and personality.

If there’s a face of joy at the Beijing Games, it’s Gu and her ever-present smile. It was a remarkable contrast to the tears of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva after her shocking litany of mistakes left the heavily favoured teenager off the podium in women’s figure skating, and the disappointment and self-doubt of U.S. skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin after she failed to medal in any of the five individual races she entered.

In more good news for the hosts, Han Cong and Sui Wenjing smashed their own world record for the second time this Olympics to lead the pairs short programme.

Ryan Regez led a 1-2 finish by Switzerland in the skicross final at Genting Snow Park, taking the lead early and never giving it up. He raised his arms in triumph after finishing the course filled with jumps, bumps and rolling terrain. Team-mate Alex Fiva finished with the silver.

Thomas Krol won gold in the 1,000m, giving the Netherlands their third straight Olympic speedskating title in the event. The Netherlands earned their fifth gold medal in 12 events in Beijing with one day of competition remaining.

Norwegian biathlete Johannes Thingnes Boe dominated throughout and stayed composed during the four shooting stages to win the men’s mass start race, to give him a fourth gold — the most so far of any competitor at the Games.

It helped take Norway’s number of golds in Beijing to 15, topping the medals table from Germany, on 10, and the United States on eight.

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet of France used strong shooting and great skiing to win the women’s mass start race.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2022