BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese skier Gu Ailing, also known as Eileen Gu, claimed victory in the slopestyle event at the FIS Freeski World Cup in Laax, Switzerland, on Friday.
In her first World Cup slopestyle appearance of the season, Gu scored 81.22 points to take the top spot on the podium. Canada's Megan Oldham finished second with 72.80 points, while Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud placed third with 72.59 points.
Under the qualification system for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, slopestyle and big air are combined into a single discipline. This means athletes can secure only one quota spot for their National or Regional Olympic Committee (NOC) across the two events.
Olympic qualification is determined based on athletes' best results in World Cup competitions and the 2025 World Championships. By winning in Laax, Gu made significant step toward her goal of full freeski park & pipe disciplines participation in the next Olympics.
Gu has previously expressed her ambition to compete in all three Freeski Park & Pipe events - slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air - at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. ■
