LIVINO, Italy – By taking risks, Elaine Guo is building a sport. She wins medals
However, on a sunny Sunday at the Olympics as she defended her halfpipe title, perhaps the best reward of all was knowing her grandmother would be proud of her.
That’s why her tears flowed freely.
Shortly after winning her third Olympic gold medal in free skating, Gu learned that her grandmother, Guozhen Feng, had died.
“It was a steamer,” Gu said. “This woman took control of life, took control, and succeeded in turning it into what she wanted it to be.”
That’s how 22-year-old Gu — born in America but competing for her mother’s homeland in China — likes to approach skating, school, life and everything she touches.
“She inspired me a lot,” Joe said. “The last time I saw her before I came to the Olympics, she was very sick, so I knew that was a possibility. I didn’t say I would probably win, but I promised her I would be brave. She was brave.”
Gu knows she has naysayers and knows what to tell them
Gu had to show a certain amount of courage as well during her young life.
There’s a brave soul on the mountain, putting her health (and life) on the line with every jump. Then, there’s the steely will she needs to tackle her world away from the cliffs.
Barely a day had passed at either of her two Olympics when Gu was not asked which country she competed in as much as she competed in freestyle skiing.
And not a day goes by without her leaning into the same message she’s been delivering for years: “If people disagree with me, if they have other skill sets, which I’m sure they do, I encourage them to direct it elsewhere.” “To make the world better in their own way.”
In her post-win press conference, the well-spoken Stanford student handled all the questions — about geopolitics, her mental abilities, the future of skating — head-on, but always brought the conversation back to why she captivated an audience in a sport that doesn’t always do that.
She said: “It is difficult to compete in three events and reach the finals in three events.” “I had to compete six times. I kind of liken it to a marathon, at 100-meter sprint speed. … I took a lot of risks with my confidence, and I’m glad I did it.”
With his confidence and victory, Gu became the most decorated freestyle skier in the short history of the sport at the Olympic Games.
Aside from medals, she works to grow the sport. She cited a Chinese government study saying that more than 300 million people in China have tried snow sports for the first time since she won three medals there in the last Olympic Games.
“There are girls in China whose lives will be affected by the power of beautiful and wonderful sports,” Gu said. “That in itself is a completely calculated effect that I think I’ve always wanted.”
Life after skiing focuses on ‘global beneficial impact’
Asked what her life after skating might entail, Gu remained committed to the broad theme of “global beneficial impact” but said her pillars now remain skating, sports and fashion. She will be at a fashion show in Milan this week.
Things can change down the road.
“I think it’s more about evaluating your individual skill set and trying to say, ‘Okay, how can I as a person do the most good in the world?’” Joe said. “Right now, I’m young. I’m active.”
Competitors catching up?
You will need it.
The example you set for skiing made the sport better. Four years ago, when Joe finished those Olympics with a gold medal in the halfpipe, there was a tinge of resignation among the other skaters.
“A machine,” Canadian runner-up Cassie Sharp said at the time.
American Carly Margolis agreed that Gu was skating at a “level that not many of us can reach.”
Now, there is a feeling that they are catching up. In fact, British bronze medalist Zoe Atkin jumped a higher distance from the halfpipe than Go. China’s Li Fangui finished second, and if she had tried six tricks instead of five, who knows what could have happened?
“She’s a great skater, and she raises everyone’s level,” said Canadian Amy Fraser, who finished fourth and is the only skater to beat Gu in the past four years. “But it’s not unbeatable.”
In a way, this is exactly what Gu wants.
“If you went to a middle school and beat everyone in freestyle, it wouldn’t be exciting for anyone, would it?” She explained.
Once her press conference was over, she walked out a side door, then onto the runway for more photos, and some hugs. Her grandmother did not see this victory. But Gu couldn’t have done it without her.
“That’s why I keep mentioning the theme of betting on myself, being brave and taking risks,” Gu said. “It actually goes back to that promise I made to my grandmother. I’m really happy that I was able to fulfill that and I hope I made her proud.”
