Two-time Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu suffered an injury while training in New Zealand on Aug. 15.
The injury, which occurred while Gu was at the Cardrona Alpine Resort on New Zealand’s South Island, is the latest in a series of setbacks since her victory at the 2022 Beijing Games. Gu, 21, was flown the following day to the South Island city of Christchurch for medical imaging.
There have not been any further details about the injury released, according to the Associated Press.
“Unfortunately, a very terrible accident occurred yesterday due to a human error,” Gu posted on the Chinese social media site Weibo, where she has 6.7 million followers. “Early this morning, we flew to Christchurch for a medical imaging examination. I hope I can return to the snow soon, but I’m still waiting for the final confirmation of the expert team.”
In her Weibo post, Gu hinted at the possibility of an overzealous fan disrupting her while training, a meticulous process that requires attention to detail. According to the South China Morning Post, a fan hid at the ski slopes the day of Gu’s injury and admitted to filming the young star.
“I have to concentrate fully during training, especially when I am preparing to start, as it’s very dangerous to be interrupted,” Gu said in her post. “I also have to focus on picturing and imagining the moves while on the cable car.
“In order to save time, I don’t have lunch breaks and try to use the bathroom as little as possible. So please don’t record or take photos while I’m training.”
Gu resumed training last month after withdrawing from the X Games in Aspen, Colo., in January after falling and injuring herself.
Born in San Francisco, Calif., Gu won three medals as a rookie at the 2021 X Games, earning gold in both slopestyle and half-pipe. She then represented China (her mother’s native country) during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, where she won two gold medals at 18 years old, becoming the youngest Olympic skier to do so.
She will represent China again in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, which runs from Feb. 6-22.
(Photo: STR / AFP via Getty Images)