Canadian freestyle skier Megan Oldham secured a historic victory at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, edging out China's Eileen Gu for the gold medal in a thrilling freestyle skiing final. The competition, currently taking place in Italy, has drawn global attention to emerging talents reshaping winter sports.
Oldham's flawless execution of a daring 1440-degree rotation during Sunday's final earned her a score of 94.25, narrowly surpassing Gu's 93.50. This marks the first Olympic gold for the 24-year-old from Parry Sound, Ontario, who previously won bronze at the 2022 Beijing Games.
In post-event comments to CGTN's Dan Williams, Oldham stated: "This moment validates years of training and adaptation to new scoring systems. Competing against athletes of Eileen's caliber pushes everyone to elevate their game."
The victory comes as winter sports gain increased commercial traction across Asia, with Olympic events driving tourism investments in mountain resorts from Japan's Hokkaido to Kazakhstan's Almaty region. Sports analysts note the Milan Games could signal a shift in freestyle skiing's competitive landscape ahead of the 2030 Winter Olympics bid process.
