Skier Eileen Gu Claims New World Record

Freeskiing phenom Eileen Gu has set a new record—again. On September 9th, 2024, she claimed first place at the FIS World Cup Women’s Freeski Halfpipe competition in Cardrona, New Zealand. Check out her winning performance below.

By winning her 15th World Cup event, Gu now holds the most World Cup wins of any free ski athlete—both male and female. “It’s a full circle moment,” Gu said, who competes for China. “My 15th World Cup win back at the location of my first World Cup podium five years ago.”

“Seeing that record being broken today for men and women means a tonne to me, and it’s something I’ll carry with me, and I hope to continue breaking records in the future,” she added.

She beat out Kexin Zhang and Rachael Karker, who landed in second and third place, respectively. Brendan Mackay won the men’s field, followed by Alex Ferreira and Andrew Longino. World Cup freeskiing athletes will next convene in Chur, Switzerland, on October 18th for a big air event.

The World Cup win isn’t Gu’s first record-breaking rodeo. At 18, she became the first woman to land a forward double cork 1440. During the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she became the first action sports athlete to take three medals at the same Olympics. Few freeskiers compete in halfpipe, big air, and slopestyle—let alone excel in all three—making Gu a rare triple threat. She holds two gold and one silver Olympic medals.

Now 21, the Olympian proved last month that her talents aren’t relegated to one sport. During the public marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Gu ran the course in less than three hours and 25 minutes. While that’s far slower than an Olympic-caliber runner—Sifan Hassan won the women’s Olympic marathon field with a time of two hours, 22 minutes, and 55 seconds—it’s still nothing to scoff at. Gu’s enrollment at Stanford University and her work as an international model further establish her multi-hyphenate status.

I’d say the sky’s the limit, but for some people like Gu, that might be setting the bar too low.

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