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Gu Ailing  Photo: VCG

China's Olympic freestyle skiing champion Gu Ailing (Eileen Gu) claimed victory in the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup at Copper Mountain, Colorado, the US, on Sunday, scoring 90.50 points and achieving a third consecutive win this season. This victory marks her 17th World Cup title, surpassing French athlete Tess Ledeux and setting a record for the most World Cup wins in freestyle skiing history.

In the first round of Sunday's final, Gu ran to the top of the leaderboard with 90.50 points for the first round. She made some mistakes and fell during the following two rounds, but ultimately held onto her lead with the same score of 90.50 to secure the championship, according to the Beijing Daily. 

Two other Chinese skiers, Li Fanghui and Chen Zihan, finished in fifth and eighth place, respectively.

"I'm very happy to get my 17th title," Gu said after the competition. "The falls were a bit painful, but nothing serious. Moving forward, I need to train well and hope I don't experience such consecutive falls again."

Gu suffered a shoulder injury in 2023 but still went on to win four World Cup titles, including one at the Chongli event in December 2023, according to the Xinhua News Agency. This season, she began her training and competitions while wearing a shoulder brace, yet still managed to secure a third consecutive win.

"Adjusting my mental state is the hardest part. This sport is 50 percent technique, 50 percent mental, especially when it comes to competition," Gu remarked after a recent event.

"Behind every skier, there are many untold struggles and sacrifices, especially physical challenges," Liu Jiayu, FIS Snowboard World Cup champion in 2008, told the Global Times.

Liu noted that the success of skiers like Gu is not solely dependent on talent and external conditions, but relies more on perseverance and unyielding belief.

"As for me, my natural physique wasn't ideal for becoming an athlete. I have loose joints, which caused frequent injuries, but these challenges actually sparked a stronger will and determination in me," Liu shared. 

For Liu, the average level of Chinese female skiers has significantly improved, which has greatly contributed to the overall development of the sport in China.

"Skiing is not just a sport where one pursues speed; it is also an emotional exchange between people and a harmonious dialogue with nature," she noted.

The 2024-25 FIS Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe World Cup consists of five competitions. The first stop, held in New Zealand, saw Gu and her teammate Zhang Kexin claim the gold and silver medals respectively. In the second stop in China early in December, Gu and her teammate Li Fanghui secured the top two spots, winning the gold and silver medals. 

The remaining two stops of the season will be held in the US and Canada in 2025.

"With the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics approaching, and as the snow sports events enter the Olympic qualification period, the preparations for China's winter sports teams have entered an intense phase, aiming to secure qualifications for the Milan Winter Games," Xing Shuo, a representative of the Winter Sports ­Center at the General Administration of Sport of China, told the Global Times.

Besides freestyle skiing, Chinese snowboarder Cai Xuetong earned a silver medal with a score of 88.50 in women's snowboarding at Copper Mountain, marking her second silver medal of the World Cup season.

This was Cai's 33rd appearance on the World Cup podium since her debut in 2009, with 14 of those being gold medals, further extending her record for the most World Cup medals in snowboarding. 

She told media that she has now entered her fifth Olympic cycle and plans to compete in as many events as possible in order to secure her qualification for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.

Xing noted that while China still has some areas of weakness in certain winter events, efforts are being made to identify and address these shortcomings. 

"The focus is on continuously improving and ensuring that all teams can make breakthroughs in the upcoming season to strengthen overall competitiveness," he said.