Swiss Skier Mathilde Gremaud Wins 2nd Olympic Gold

When Mathilde Gremaud had already secured her second Olympic slopestyle gold medal, she did something unforgettable. The 26-year-old Swiss freestyle skier grabbed her country's flag and let it fly behind her like a superhero's cape during her final celebration run.

The moment became one of the defining images of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Her coach had pulled the flag from his jacket just before her run, telling her to be careful but enjoy it.

"I did a 360 and I had the flag in my face," Gremaud told Olympics.com with a smile. "So on the last jump, I was going to jump as high as I can and celebrate in the air."

No woman had ever successfully defended an Olympic freeski title before Gremaud's victory. She beat six-time Olympic medallist Eileen Gu by just 0.38 points in one of the most competitive finals the sport has seen.

But the gold medal wasn't the only thing that made this Olympics special. This time, Gremaud's family was there to watch her become the first Swiss female gold medallist at Milano Cortina 2026.

The journey to that podium wasn't easy. Gremaud took a mental health break at the beginning of 2025, stepping away from competition to rediscover why she loved skiing in the first place.

When she came back, she won two world championship titles on home snow. The key was simple: she started enjoying the sport again.

Why This Inspires

Gremaud remembers watching freestyle skiing's Olympic debut at Sochi 2014 as a teenager. Athletes like Kaya Turski and Virginie Faivre became her role models, showing her what was possible.

Now she understands her own responsibility as someone young athletes look up to. "If you have a passion, you should pursue it and really try everything you've got to make a living out of it," she said.

Her message to kids who aren't sure they can make it is clear: trust yourself and try hard. "You're always going to be happier that way," she explained.

Gremaud's rivalry with Eileen Gu has defined both of her Olympic victories, with margins of less than half a point each time. But the two athletes share mutual admiration and push each other to new heights.

"She works really hard for it, and I think we have a lot of similarities in how we go about competition and hard work," Gremaud said of Gu.

Though their next Olympic battle is four years away, the World Cup series and next year's world championships in Austria will give fans more chances to watch these two stars compete.

For now, Gremaud is focused on showing young athletes that following your passion and taking care of your mental health can lead to extraordinary achievements.