Eileen Gu Becomes Second Female Freeskier Ever To Land Double 1620, Wins Olympic Big Air Gold

At January’s X Games Aspen, French freeskier Tess Ledeux progressed the women’s side of the sport significantly when she became the first to land a double 1620 (four and a half full rotations and two off-axis flips) in competition. The trick secured her big air gold and made her the one to beat ahead of the Beijing Games.

But Eileen Gu, who competes in big air, slopestyle and halfpipe and is a podium favorite in all three at the Olympics, wasn’t at X Games Aspen. Gu had suggested that she might have her own 1620 in her back pocket, a potential trump card to debut at the Games.

And she did.

In the first of three runs in the women’s ski big air final Monday night (Tuesday morning in China), Ledeux wasted no time laying all her cards on the table. She executed a massive double 1620, scoring a monster 94.50. By her second run, a 1440 that earned her a 93.00, she was in first place and daring anyone to come try to knock her off her perch.

Gu took up the challenge.

The San Francisco, California, native who competes for China internationally landed her own double 1620 on her third run, matching Ledeux’s score of 94.50 and putting her total overall score at 188.25. (Athletes’ two best scores are added together for their total score, with the lowest-scored run being dropped.)

It was the first double 1620 of Gu’s career, and she shrieked—in relief, in disbelief—as she landed it, falling to her knees when her score vaulted her to gold-medal position.

As the highest-ranked skier after the second round, Ledeux got to drop in last for the third and final run. With a combined score of 187.5, she needed one point to beat out Gu—and having earned a 93 on her 1440 on her second run, she attempted to do the trick switch (coming in backwards) on her third as Gu looked on anxiously.

But Ledeux landed on just one foot, which docked her score down to a 73.25 and her final position into second. She had secured the silver medal—but her disappointment, having led throughout the competition, was obvious as she sobbed and was consoled by her competitors.

Ledeux will never know what could have been—but in the name of strategy, one must wonder: if she had played her cards closer to her vest, saving her double 16 for her second or third run, would Gu have even attempted it?

Gu’s double 1620 may have earned her an Olympic gold, and it will be shown on countless Olympic highlight reels throughout the coming weeks—indeed, for all of time. History should not forget that it was Ledeux who landed it first—the first ever and the first in Olympic competition.

Ledeux—and Gu—will have another chance to duke it out for gold in the women’s ski slopestyle event. Qualification is on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. ET (Monday morning in China). Gu will also compete in ski halfpipe—one of the rare competitors who will appear in all three events at the Games.

Gu, nicknamed the “Snow Princess,” has been China’s great hope at racking up gold medals at these Games, favored to make the podium in all three of her events. The 18-year-old burst onto the scene in January 2021 when she became the first woman to win three medals as a rookie in X Games history, as well as the first Chinese athlete in X Games history to win gold.

Having previously competed for the United States internationally, Gu switched her affiliation to China in 2019. China’s policy is not to recognize dual citizenship, but whether or not Gu gave up her American passport is unclear.

Gu attributed her decision to her desire to “unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations,” as well as to honor her Chinese mother, Yan Gu, and inspire young Chinese girls to pursue extreme sports and skiing.

China hopes to do the same. In 2015, when the country received the bid for the 2022 Winter Games, it announced ambitious plans to build 800 ski resorts and 650 skating rinks by 2022, investing billions of dollars in a budding industry.

But issues with the 100 percent man-made snow at these Games—which have led to multiple crashes—have not so far advertised the country as a top ski destination to the rest of the world.

Still, as the audience—composed entirely of Chinese citizens, as no one else was admitted entry to the Games given the pandemic—waved flags and cheered for its Snow Princess, it’s clear to see that even if foreigners aren’t planning their next ski vacations for the deserts of Beijing, young Chinese girls are likely already planning out their careers in Gu’s image.