Megan Oldham and Eileen Gu (Image Via Getty)
Megan Oldham delivered one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 Winter Olympics when she won gold in women’s freeski big air at Milano-Cortina, finishing ahead of China’s Eileen Gu.
Going into the event, Gu was widely seen as the favorite. She already had multiple Olympic medals and had won big air gold in Beijing 2022. But this time, Oldham stayed calm, landed two strong runs, and finished on top with 180.75 points, just ahead of Gu’s 179.00.What made the result more meaningful was Oldham’s journey. Four years ago in Beijing, she finished fourth and left feeling her tricks were not technical enough to reach the podium.
Speaking after her win, she said, “I think in Beijing, it was a hard reality for me knowing that I had done my best performance there and that it just came down to my tricks simply not being technical enough to be up on that podium.” That memory pushed her to upgrade her skills before Milan, and it clearly paid off.
Megan Oldham and Eileen Gu Battle in Milano-Cortina as Olympic Gold Comes Down to Execution
Megan Oldham’s winning performance was built early. She opened with a strong first run that scored 91.75, giving her control of the competition right away.
Her second run added another solid score of 89, while her fall in the third did not matter because big air counts only the best two runs. Gu fought back with a 90 on her first attempt and an 89 on her final run, but it was not enough to close the small gap.Going against Eileen Gu is never easy. Gu is known as one of the most technical skiers in the sport and was the first woman to land a double cork 1440. In Beijing, she won gold with a double cork 1620.
Oldham knew she needed to raise her level.
She explained, “I think coming into this Olympics, I didn’t want to have that same feeling. So I spent a lot of time really focusing and putting energy into trying to learn some new tricks that not many girls necessarily do.”The challenge became even tougher because Oldham was dealing with pain. She later revealed she suffered a quad hematoma after slopestyle and struggled during early big air training. “I was in a lot of pain… but I was going to do everything to be out here and showcase my skiing,” she said. Her ability to push through injury made the victory feel even bigger and showed how much preparation and mental strength went into the gold medal moment.
