Professional skier and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Eileen Gu has suffered an injury after a “very terrible accident” that occurred while training at the Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand.
The Accident
According to the South China Morning Post, Gu shared a post on the Chinese social media site Weibo explaining the incident and stating that she went to Christchurch early on Saturday, August 16th, for medical imaging.
“Unfortunately, a very terrible accident occurred yesterday due to human error. Hopefully I’ll be back on the snow soon, but I’m still waiting for final confirmation from the expert team.” – Eileen Gu
Eye witnesses state that Gu left for the hospital on a stretcher. She expressed her gratitude toward her friends and supporters while asking for understanding and respect from her supporters. Specifically she discussed how important it is that she remain focused while training.
“I have to concentrate fully during training, especially when I am preparing to start, as it’s very dangerous to be interrupted. 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. – Eileen Gu
About Eileen Gu
Eileen Gu was born in the United States but represents China in international competition. Her 2021 X Games debut saw her winning three medals in one competition. She became champion of the junior group of the USA Snowboard and Freeski Association at 9-years-old, entering the senior ranks when she was just 13.
Gu won her first World Cup victory at the FIS Freeski World Cup Slopestyle when she was just 15-years-old in 2019. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, she became first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Games, gold in big air and halfpipe and silver in slopestyle.
