U.S. national team suddenly gave up and → Legend of returning from the brink of death... "For Two Countries" Third Gold Medal Challenge [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

The challenge continues even in the cold eyes of China. Gu Ai-ling (22), who was born in the U.S. but chose to play for the Chinese national team, will advance to the final round of women's freestyle skiing at the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics and start hunting for the first gold medal of the competition.

Chinese media Sohu Dotcom reported on the 16th (Korea time) that Gu I-ling scored 86.00 points in the first period and 84.75 points in the third period in the freestyle ski women's big air preliminaries, ranking second with a total of 170.75 points.

According to reports, in an interview after confirming his qualification for the finals, Gu I-ling said, "This is the third time in my career that I have participated in a big air competition. It's the first big air game in four years since the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but I'll show my skills without any pressure," he vowed.

However, the local atmosphere in China is in contrast to Gu Ailing's performance. Rather than supporting Gu Ai-ling, who chose his own national team, there are many voices criticizing him as an opportunist.

According to Chinese media such as Sohu, local netizens are cynical, saying, "I'm just an American who came to make money" and "Stop reporting on opportunists."

Gu I-ling is known to have earned an astronomical amount of money by representing China while maintaining U.S. citizenship. According to Forbes, Gui-ling recorded a total cumulative profit of $87.4 million (about 127 billion won) from 2022 to 2025.

Guai-ling had to overcome a fatal injury that threatened her life before she entered the Olympics. In January last year, he suffered an acute cerebral hemorrhage and a clavicle fracture by falling from the head due to a landing mistake during the Winter X Games, and was shocked for five minutes at the time, raising the possibility of permanent disability or death. Nevertheless, there was a malicious public opinion in China that it was a fake disease to avoid poor performance over the absence of the Asian Games, and Gu I-ling even made a fuss by disclosing his medical certificate.

Despite this all-round pressure, Gu I-ling survived 10 months of intense rehabilitation and made a splendid return by lifting his 20th World Cup trophy in January this year. Gu Ai-ling, who has always avoided immediate answers about the nationality controversy, said ahead of the Olympics, "I will use pressure as a driving force to strengthen me," and expressed his determination to play with a rookie mindset.

The skill is certain. At the Beijing Olympics, Guai-ling won gold medals in two events: Big Air and Halfpipe. In the ongoing Winter Olympics, Gu Ai-ling also won a silver medal in slopestyle. Shortly after winning the silver medal, Gu Ai-ling sparked controversy by saying, "Sometimes I feel like I'm carrying the weight of both countries on my shoulders."

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*This content was translated by AI.