Mathilde Gremaud defeated Irene Gu in the women’s blue rib band freeski event at the Winter Olympics, qualifying for her second consecutive Winter Olympics.
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Published February 9, 2026
Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud retained her Olympic title in slopestyle and freestyle skiing at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games in a thrilling race in the Italian Alpine town of Livigno.
China’s Irene Gu, who was hoping to turn her silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics into a gold this time, fell at the start of her final run on Monday, leaving her in second place.
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Canada’s Megan Oldham (24) finished last on the podium despite suffering a heavy crash on her second run.
Gremaud, who received a one-day late birthday present, far surpassed the already extremely high bar set by Gou on his first run, performed three impressive runs of his own, and had already secured gold by wearing the Swiss flag like a cloak on his last run.
Gremaud pulls out a new trick
On a crisp, sunny day at a high-altitude ski resort near the Swiss border, Gremaud started the final by becoming the first woman to perform an elite-level trick known as the Nose Butter Double Cork 1260.
In this trick, the skier presses the tip of the ski on takeoff to initiate a spin, then performs a double cork 1260 that combines two different off-axis inverted flips and three and a half complete horizontal rotations.
The Swiss champion, known for his variety of tricks on the slopes, turned to highly technical tricks and performed a breathtaking acrobatic jump on his second run, ultimately earning him the highest overall score of 86.96 points, just ahead of Gu’s first score of 86.58 points.
Despite a big crash on his second run, Oldham regained his composure on his third run, running up the rail and finishing with a modest but highly acrobatic jump that earned him 76.46 points.
At the end of the race and at the awards ceremony, the flags of the three winning countries – Switzerland, China and Canada – waved in the air to loud music and cheers, and the crowd was bathed in various shades of red. The medal was handed out by Britain’s Princess Anne, a former Olympic equestrian.
fierce competition
Two-time Olympic champion Goo (22 years old) set the bar high in his first run with big tricks on the rail and spectacular jumps, adding flair to every trick and quickly taking the lead.
After tripping on a rail early on the beautifully sculpted slope and failing on his second run, Gou knew he would need something special in his final run to take the title from Gremaud. But she soon fell into the snow, ending her hopes of regaining the top spot in the tournament.
Gu, who was born in the United States and will represent China, her mother’s home country, at the Olympics, said last week that she had nothing to prove after winning two gold medals and one silver at the Beijing Games.
She will defend her big air and halfpipe titles later in the tournament.
