Eileen Gu Claims Record 20th World Cup Win in Switzerland

Eileen Gu proved she's still the queen of freeskiing, capturing her 20th career World Cup victory at the Laax Open in Switzerland and making history as the first athlete in her sport to reach that milestone.

The two-time Olympic champion sealed her second consecutive Laax Open slopestyle title with a first-run score of 85.13, dominating the competition ahead of American Marin Hamill and Austria's Lara Wolf. But what happened next showed why Gu has become one of winter sports' most electrifying athletes.

Already guaranteed the win, Gu went all out on her second run, attempting a difficult double cork 1080. She came up short and tumbled hard onto her right side, sending skis and poles flying as the crowd gasped.

Moments later, she skied to the finish and waved to relieved fans. "I don't really like taking a victory lap, so I wanted to just do something to keep pushing and show my best out here," Gu explained afterward.

Why This Inspires

At just 21 years old, Gu has already rewritten the record books. She became the winningest freeski athlete two years ago and has continued extending her own record ever since.

Her willingness to risk a scary fall when victory was already secured shows the mindset that separates good athletes from legendary ones. Gu competes against herself as much as her rivals, constantly pushing boundaries even when there's nothing left to prove.

The Laax Open served as one of the final major competitions before the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which begin in less than three weeks. Gu enters as a favorite in slopestyle, the one freeski discipline where she narrowly missed Olympic gold at Beijing 2022.

In the men's competition, Norway's Birk Ruud claimed his third consecutive Laax Open victory with a technically flawless first run that earned 85.08 points. Austria's Matěj Švancer finished second after impressively recovering from losing a ski mid-air, while Canada's Evan McEachran took third.

American skiers showed strong form heading into the Olympics, with Hamill earning her second career World Cup podium and teammate Avery Krumme finishing fourth. On the men's side, Hunter Henderson placed fifth while Konnor Ralph finished eighth.

Both Gu and Ruud head into February's Olympic Games with championship momentum and a clear message to their competitors: they're not slowing down.