Defending Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu brushes off fall and advances to final in halfpipe

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — The first thing Eileen Gu thought when she hit the bottom of the halfpipe halfway through her run Thursday night: “Of course this would happen right now,” she said.

In a remarkable show of Olympic consistency, Gu’s fall in qualifying made her 3 for 3 at the Games: That's three events, three falls in qualifying, three clutch comebacks to secure her spot in the final.

Next, she gets to go for her third medal, and sixth over the span of two Olympics. She's looking to defend her title in halfpipe after taking silver in slopestyle and big air following equally drama-rich affairs in both of those qualifying rounds.

“I wish I knew,” she said when asked why this keeps happening. “It’s like, why do I keep doing this? I want to get to the bottom of this, but ideally, not experimentally.“

The trick the 22-year-old freeskier fell on was a 720-degree spin that started with a right-side turn down the mountain. It's a jump she can do in her sleep, one part of the “B” material she pulls out for qualifying rounds.

But this time, Gu — born in America but competing for her mother's homeland of China — clipped the top of the halfpipe. Her left ski popped off and she slid down to the bottom.

After retrieving the ski and making it to the bottom of the hill, she looked into the camera peering into the Kiss and Cry zone and said “The qualies curse.“

Later, she conceded she lacked a killer instinct as she revved up for the start of her third event in 13 days — the only skier in the 21-woman field attempting that sort of schedule.

She turned it around moments before dropping in for the decisive run.

“I needed to become the hunter, not the prey, if that makes sense,” Gu said.

Working the same tricks as she did on her first try, Gu’s ski actually caught the side of the halfpipe on the same trick in the second run, but that didn’t create a wreck.

She ended up qualifying fifth, which means she’ll drop in the middle of the pack on Saturday, where she'll compete for the final Olympic medals being awarded at the Livigno Snow Park.

One challenger will be Canada's Amy Fraser, the only skier to beat Gu in a major contest since Gu won the Olympic gold in 2022.

The strongest challenge could very well come from Zoe Atkin, an American-born skier who competes for Britain and finished first in qualifying with none of the drama Gu delivered.

“I was definitely super-nervous,” Atkin said. “I definitely feel like qualifying is sometimes more nerve-wracking than finals.”

She should talk.

Way back on Feb. 7, Gu opened her Olympics by falling off the very first rail in the very first run of the slopestyle qualifying. She came back an hour later and put down a strong run, saying she would've bet it all on herself to come through.

On Feb. 14, Gu bit it on second jump in big air qualifying, turning her last try into an all-or-nothing affair.

Because she landed it, she got to the final where she won her second silver medal. It also cost her a day of training in the halfpipe for an event she hadn't been near in more than two months.

On Saturday, she'll be in a three-run final, which will make it 16 trips down the mountain over 15 days.

“I'm just trying to hold on at this point,” Gu said. “I'm exhausted, and the thing is, no judge is going to give me extra points for being good at rails (in slopestyle), and no judge is giving me extra points because I missed a training.”

Win or lose Saturday, she knows what her next move will be.

“Tang ping,” she said. That's a Chinese phrase for “lie flat.”

AP Sports Writer Joseph Wilson contributed.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

China's Eileen Gu competes during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

China's Eileen Gu crashes during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

China's Eileen Gu crashes during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

China's Eileen Gu celebrates during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

China's Eileen Gu reacts during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves had plenty of lulls during the regular season, seemingly coasting at times while struggling to recapture the form that fueled them to consecutive Western Conference finals appearances over the last two years.

The postseason switch sure got flipped against the rival Denver Nuggets, as the players promised all along. The energy and urgency was never greater than in the series-clinching Game 6 victory on Thursday, when the determined Timberwolves shook off the absence of their three best guards and beat the Nuggets 110-98.

“Still part of our growth,” coach Chris Finch said. “We’ve been really good with the high moments. Our consistency sometimes throughout the season isn’t always there, which we don’t really like about ourselves, but we know we have it in ourselves to meet these moments.”

Jaden McDaniels clearly does.

Nobody on the Timberwolves embodies the mercurial nature of this close-knit but often-moody team than McDaniels, the sixth-year forward who made a name for himself in this series.

Tirelessly chasing All-Star guard Jamal Murray around screens and everywhere he tried to go along the perimeter, limiting him to 4-for-17 shooting in Game 6, McDaniels did even more on the offensive end.

With a big chunk of the team's shot creation missing due to injuries to Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu, McDaniels went 13 for 25 from the floor for 32 points with 10 rebounds.

“What I was the most proud about him was just his emotional control, being able to stay poised, not overreact to adversity, calls or missed shots, or mistakes,” teammate Rudy Gobert said. "He stayed present, and he stepped up big time when we needed him the most, so I’m really, really proud of him.”

McDaniels tossed even more spice into this well-developed rivalry early in the series with his blanket “ bad defenders ” jab at the opponent, and he made no secret of the motivation he gets from seeing “Denver” or “Nuggets” sewed on the other team's jersey.

“The only thing I said to him, after he had made his comments, was, ‘Now it’s time to back it up,’” Finch said. “And talking doesn’t matter. You've got to go do it. I knew he was going to put the effort in, so he was ready for it, and he owned it, and he responded.”

McDaniels later irked Nuggets star Nikola Jokic by taking an uncontested layup in the closing seconds of Minnesota's blowout win in Game 4, sparking a brief shoving match.

McDaniels had his worst game of the series in the loss in Game 5 on Monday, when he was booed often by the Denver crowd, but he responded on his home court with one of the best games of his career.

With the Timberwolves trying to put away the game, McDaniels delivered the dagger shot — swishing his signature mid-range pull-up to give them a seven-point lead with 1:06 to play. Then he intercepted a harried pass by Jokic to get the ball back and start a parade to the line.

Jokic gave McDaniels a hug after the final horn, a sign of respect from the three-time NBA MVP despite the irritation he caused all series long.

“I’m just happy it’s over, happy we were able to come out on top,” McDaniels said. “Stuff was said. I’m just happy we were all able to prove our point, get the win and move on to the next round.”

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs have been waiting. They'll host Game 1 on Monday.

“I figured the real winner of this series was going to be San Antonio, because both these teams were going to take a lot of pieces out of each other, and did,” Finch said. “So I’m not sure what we have left standing there before we go down there.”

Even if they're short-handed and overmatched, the Timberwolves are a good bet to put up a strong fight.

“You have to believe that you can win, no matter what,” Gobert said. "Obviously we’re missing some pretty important players, right? But no matter who’s out there, we believe in our defense. We believe in trusting one another. Anything’s possible.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) celebrates a basket against the Denver Nuggets during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Timberwolves co-owner Alex Rodriguez celebrates during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Denver Nuggets, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark (22) get into an altercation during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo, left, looks on during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Denver Nuggets, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) celebrates his three-point basket against the Denver Nuggets during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)