Livigno (Italy) (AFP) – Eileen Gu was forced to wait for her final chance to win an Olympic gold at the Milan-Cortina Games as heavy snow on Saturday forced organisers to postpone the women’s freeski halfpipe final. The event at Livigno Snow Park, high in the Italian Alps, was originally scheduled to take place at 1830 GMT. But hours of relentless snow and poor visibility made it impossible to hold the competition. The final has been pushed back to 0940 GMT on Sunday, the final day of competition in Italy, with better weather forecast.
China’s defending champion Gu, who came to Italy seeking a clean sweep of three golds in her events, has so far failed to top the podium, winning silver medals in slopestyle and big air. The 22-year-old finished fifth in qualifying for the halfpipe final despite a fall on her first run.
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“My working hypothesis is that I need to reach a certain threshold of pressure to thrive, and it’s almost like the first run of qualies is not enough,” said Gu, who won two golds and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Games. “I honestly don’t know what it is. I really don’t want to keep doing this. This is not a good practice to have. I hope I get to the bottom of it.”
Britain’s Zoe Atkin topped qualifying on Thursday with a score of 91.50, ahead of China’s Li Fanghui, with 90.00. Canada’s Cassie Sharpe was third despite a heavy crash, but reports said she would not compete in the final.
© 2024 AFP
