Eileen Gu defends Olympic ski halfpipe gold, makes it 6 medals in 6 events over Winter Games career

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Maybe the most staggering thing of Eileen Gu's entire gold medal-winning day was she lost her balance on the first trick in her first run.

Perhaps she is mortal? But maybe not as Gu defended her Olympic ski halfpipe title on Sunday to make it six medals in six events over her Winter Games career.

“She is ‘Wonder Woman,’” New Zealand’s Mischa Thomas said.

The 22-year-old Gu, American-born but competing for her mother’s homeland of China, is already the most decorated freeskier in the short history of the sport at the Olympics. She also captured two silver medals at the Milan Cortina Games, to pair with two golds and a silver from the Beijing Games.

“The reason I love the records so much is that it’s not about man or woman,” Gu said. “I’m the most decorated freeskier of all time, male or female. … That’s a testament to competitive strength, it’s mental strength. It’s being able to perform under pressure. It has nothing to (do with) if you’re a boy or a girl.”

Gu won the event on the strength of her second run, a clean, technically sound pass. She got even better in her final run — pumping his ski poles after landing the final trick — and finished with a score of 94.75. Her teammate, Li Fanghui, took silver and Zoe Atkin of Britain was third.

“She is unreal,” Thomas said of Gu. “It’s pretty crazy how good she is.”

The event was rescheduled to Sunday following a big snowstorm the night before. It was a bright, sunny day as Gu shined in the final event at the Livigno Snow Park. She shielded her eyes from the sun to catch a peek of her winning score — and instantly liked what she saw.

There were quite a few Gu fans at the base of the halfpipe, holding up pictures of her and waving flags.

“Being able to lead the way and pioneer the sport is something I never imagined I’d be able to do,” Gu said. “But I’m really honored and proud that I have.”

Atkin, an American-born skier who competes for her father’s homeland of Britain, soared high all contest, a staggering 5.4 meters (18 feet) above the pipe at one point. She finished ninth at the Beijing Games but has been a steady presence on World Cup podiums ever since. She has three victories over the last four years, all in events where Gu didn’t compete.

The 23-year-old Atkin is the defending world champion.

“(Gu) is a really great competitor. She’s a really amazing skier,” said Atkin, whose sister, Isabel, won an Olympic bronze in ski slopestyle at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. “We have an amazing group of skiers as well. I think the level is truly unmatched, and I think that’s really special. I think that makes it really exciting to watch for the next coming years.”

Canada's Amy Fraser echoed that.

“She’s a great skier, and she raises the level for everyone else, but she’s not unbeatable,” said Fraser, who finished fourth. “I don’t think the level is untouchable.”

In her second run, Thomas dropped into the halfpipe — and dropped her phone. It had to be retrieved for Thomas. After the competition, she reported: “My phone is great. Never been better.”

Svea Irving was a “DNS” — did not start — in the American’s second run. She returned for a third run but struggled to complete a maneuver and finished in 11th.

Atkin took the lead after the first run with a smooth performance. Meanwhile, Gu lost her balance on her first trick and cut the run short.

Cassie Sharpe of Canada sat out the final after a hard crash in Thursday’s qualifying round. She won the gold in the event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and silver four years later in Beijing.

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

China's Eileen Gu holds her gold medal alongside her two silver medals after the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Gold medalist China's Eileen Gu poses with her medals after winning the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Gold medalist China's Eileen Gu reacts to winning the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Gold medalist China's Eileen Gu celebrates winning the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

China's Eileen Gu reacts during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

China's Eileen Gu, left, reacts alongside her mother, Yan Gu, during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Britain's Zoe Atkin celebrates during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

China's Eileen Gu celebrates during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

China's Eileen Gu competes during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

China's Eileen Gu smiles 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, right, reacts alongside her mother, Yan Gu, after Canada's Cassie Sharpe crashed during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

MILAN (AP) — Sidney Crosby will not play for Canada in the men’s gold medal hockey game against the U.S. at the Winter Olympics on Sunday, four days after suffering an apparent right knee injury.

Crosby’s status was revealed just over an hour before puck drop when the lineups came out. Crosby skated in a closed-to-reporters practice Saturday, according to coach Jon Cooper and other players.

Being without the two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time Stanley Cup champion is a huge loss for Canada in a showdown with the also-unbeaten Americans. Connor McDavid will again wear the captain’s “C” in Crosby’s absence. McDavid leads all Olympic players with 13 points over five games.

Cooper made it clear that Crosby would only be in uniform if he could play a regular role.

“No, no, it’s too important," Cooper said Saturday. "We don’t want to have somebody in there as an inspiration when we could have a player that could be capable of helping. You never know if guys are going to get hurt in the game. He wouldn’t want to do that, either.”

The 38-year-old center left the quarterfinal game against Czechia with the injury and he missed Canada’s semifinal game against Finland.

Even without Crosby, the U.S. against Canada for Olympic gold is a titanic showdown.

As the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago showed, the North American powerhouses are atop the hockey world on the international stage. They proved it at this tournament, with the U.S. going through Sweden and Canada getting past Czechia and Finland to make the most-anticipated final possible happen.

A gold medal would still mean everything to the players and coaches involved, but it feels right to have the two border rivals as the last teams standing in Milan.

“If you’re going to get through to your goal, you’re going to probably have to go through them at some point,” U.S. winger Matthew Tkachuk said. “They’ve had the success in pretty much all the Olympics that NHL players have been going to. Two great teams, and I can only speak for ourselves, we’re just so excited for this opportunity, honored to represent our country and honored to be in this position.”

Canada won the past two Olympics where NHL players participated, in 2010 and 2014. The U.S. has not taken home gold in men’s hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team.

That’s ancient history. These countries have more recent history from two epic 4 Nations games, including the first one that opened with three fights in nine seconds. Fighting is not allowed at the Olympics, though Canada’s Tom Wilson didn’t care about the automatic ejection when he dropped the gloves against France.

“There’s no fighting (but) I expect a hard-fought game, the same as it was the last two times we played them,” U.S. forward J.T. Miller said.

The U.S. is at full strength after winger Tage Thompson — tied for the team lead in goals with three — left the semifinal against Slovakia after blocking a shot. Thompson is expected to be good to go for what is the biggest game of a lot of players’ careers.

“Everybody that’s playing is going to be 50 years old one day, not playing in the NHL anymore and playing thousands of games hopefully, and you’re going to remember start to finish a handful of games,” Tkachuk said. “This is probably one of them.”

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

Canada's Sidney Crosby (87) is attended to after being injured during the second period of a men's ice hockey quarterfinal game between Canada and Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Canada head coach Jon Cooper talks with his players after their win against Finland in a men's ice hockey semifinal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Canada's Nathan MacKinnon, not seen, scores his side's third goal during a men's ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP)

United States' Jack Hughes (86) celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during a men's ice hockey semifinal game between United States and Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)