Swiss skier Mathilde Gremaud, gold medalist in slopestyle and bronze medalist in big air at Beijing 2022, says her expectations for the Milan‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics remain high, with fierce competition from rivals such as China's Eileen Gu pushing her to perform at her best.
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened Friday with an unprecedented ceremony staged in two cities - Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. A total of around 2,900 athletes from more than 90 countries and regions will compete in 116 events across eight sports and 16 disciplines, with the Games set to run through Feb 22.
"I mean, I was just super stoked to be here, be healthy, and I had three starts at the Olympic Games and three medals. So my expectations are definitely high. I'm really here to have fun and show my best, and then I think we could have a good ending. And that's really the goal," said Gremaud in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
One of the standout rivalries at Milan-Cortina 2026 will unfold in the women's freestyle skiing events. Eileen Gu will aim to build on her success from Beijing 2022, where she claimed two gold medals and a silver. The athlete who denied Gu a clean sweep was Gremaud, who captured gold in the slopestyle event.
Gremaud recalled her "great rivalry" with Gu in 2022, and described the competition with her this year as "the biggest battle," where both of them would have to be "on point."
"That was a crazy day for sure, for the both of us. It was really tight results. And I feel like it could have been either or, I mean, the way it was judged, like I got a few little half points more, but it could have been the other way around, I feel like. But we've had great rivalry, for sure, over the years. She hasn't been really on the scene that much since, so it has been hard to compare. But I know she has been working hard, and she has skiing well, and so, it's definitely, I think the biggest battle is definitely between us, but there's a lot of great girls out there as well, and for the battle, to be between us, we also have to be on point the day that it matters. So that's also, personally, something that you have to achieve before talking about battle. So I'm focusing on myself, but I definitely know that when I land my run, when she lands her run, it's going to be tight, and it's going to be a battle, as always," she said.
"For sure, it's pushing me. It's probably getting the best out of me, in a good way, because I cannot just rely on doing it a little bit, and I have to push, and then she has to push, and no one's going to pull on the brake. Everyone's going to just go all in. And that's really cool," said Gremaud.
Swiss skier Mathilde Gremaud eyes Winter Olympics glory fueled by rivalry with Eileen Gu
