Gu grabs more history for China
Teenage sensation defies injury to become first freeskier to win two golds at same world championships
Chinese freeskier Gu Ailing soared to yet more history-making feats over the weekend, further enhancing expectations that the teenager will be a superstar of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Just over a month after winning China's first X Games gold medals in Aspen, Colorado, the 17-year-old bagged another sensational double at the FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships at the same location.
This time, the teenager had to overcome stormy conditions on Buttermilk Mountain to become the first freeskier ever to win two golds at the same world championships-halfpipe on Friday followed by slopestyle on Saturday.
Her achievements were all the more remarkable considering she entered the championships nursing hand injuries.
Those injuries meant Gu opted against using poles, but amazingly she still managed to pull off a dazzling array of flips and tricks.
"I feel so so good. I broke my hand a few weeks ago, I have torn UCL(ulnar collateral) ligament (located in the thumb) and a broken pointer finger so this is my first time ever competing without poles," Gu told the FIS website after her halfpipe victory.
"I wasn't sure how comfortable I'd feel with that. I definitely was really struggling on qualifying day and during training before that so it shook up my confidence a little bit. But dropping in today I was really feeling it. It's so amazing. I'm really excited to come back and show the world I can ski well even with this."
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