Eileen Gu has done it yet again, with another incredible halfpipe victory at the FIS Freeski World Cup taking place at Copper Mountain, Colorado, from December 19-21. The 21-year-old skier’s 17th World Cup victory awarded her the record for most FIS Freeski World Cup wins in history. Up until now, Gu was tied for that honor with France’s Tess Ledeux at 16. The two women managed to overtake Norway’s Bird Ruud last season, who held the title until then with 14 World Cup victories.
Competing against a field of talented athletes, Gu delivered a score of 90.50 on her first run, which was just enough to beat out competitors Zoe Atkin with a score of 89.75 and Cassie Sharpe with a score of 89.00. Gu showed off challenging, technical tricks such as a right 900 Buick, a left 900 Japan, and an alley-oop 360 lead tail. Her flawless execution and creative lines highlighted her signature blend of power, grace, and technical skill.
Gu took a hard crash on her third run victory lap but thankfully sustained no injuries. “It’s a competitive sport and sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned, but it’s all about competition and doing the best that you can on the day and competing with everyone,” Gu said. “So I’m really happy to get my 17th win, 14th (Halfpipe win) in a row.” Gu also told a reporter for FIS that “the level of competition in Saturday’s final had pushed everyone in the women’s field.”
Gu’s victory at Copper Mountain marks her third consecutive Halfpipe win this season and brings her total Halfpipe World Cup victories to 14, further cementing her legacy as an incredibly successful athlete in the discipline. Her 17 FIS World Cup wins place her among the most accomplished Freestyle skiers ever, continuing to inspire athletes and skiers alike worldwide. She also has won three Olympic medals—two gold for Halfpipe and Big Air and one silver in Slopestyle—making her the defending Freeski champion going into the 2026 Olympics. Gu remains the leader in the Halfpipe World Cup standings with 300 points, a commanding position as the season progresses. Her 14th Halfpipe World Cup victory since 2020 also makes her the all-time leader for Halfpipe wins across men’s and women’s competition.
Besides skiing, Gu is also a full-time student studying quantum physics at Stanford University and is currently taking an exchange term at Oxford. She is also a model with a full-fledged fashion career and attends prestigious events such as the Met Gala and Paris Fashion Week. With so much on her plate, she still finds a way to balance the different aspects of her life and compete at top level. Aside from skiing, Gu states that she has “always valued education deeply. Lots of people around me–other athletes, advisors, mentors, my mom–all tell me to take time off school, but I feel like being an academic is an integral part of who I am, so that’s why I’ve remained a full-time student throughout my life.” Time Magazine named her as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People, and Forbes named her the world’s second-highest-paid female athlete, adding to the long list of Gu’s accomplishments.
After this competition in Copper Mountain, the iconic X Games will take place in January 2025 at Aspen, Colorado. The X Games bring together some of the most well recognized athletes of all time, to compete against each other in 4 categories: Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, and the newly coveted Knuckle Huck. This exciting event will kick off the competition season of 2025, giving Gu another chance to show off her powerful and graceful skiing.
Hi! I am a 16 year old freeride skier from Mammoth Mountain, CA. I love everything about snow and am so excited to ski this winter!
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