China's "golden girl" Gu Ailing saved her best for last, as the freeski sensation delivered on the final day at Milano-Cortina 2026 to successfully defend her Olympic gold medal in women's halfpipe at the Livigno Snow Park on Sunday.

The 22-year-old all-around skier, who already had won two silvers at the Games — in slopestyle on Feb 9 and big air on Feb 16 — scored a field-high 94.75 points in her third and final run to secure the win under a clear sky at the northern Italian Alps resort.

Another Chinese skier, Li Fanghui, also put on her best performance by scoring 93.00 points in her third attempt to complete a one-two finish for Team China at runner-up, while Zoe Atkin of the United Kingdom rounded up the podium at third with a 92.50-point effort.

The closing-day victory cemented Gu's status as the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history, having collected six total medals, including three gold, across three events at two editions of the Games since Beijing 2022.

Behind the accolades were struggles that built the versatile champion Gu, who opened up about all the challenges on and off the snow that she has overcome en route to her successful Milano-Cortina 2026 campaign.

"Every day I was fighting," Gu said of her journey to overcome multiple injuries early last year to come back to top form. "I gave my all every single day that I've been here, and that's no joke.

"In all three events, I showcased my best skiing, and as far as performance goes, that's all I can ask for, to be able to show the world the best that women's skiing has to offer at the moment that it really counts," said Gu, who has also had to navigate a nearly impossible schedule of training and competing in all three events in Italy.

The halfpipe podium finishes took the Chinese delegation's overall medal tally in Italy to 15, including five gold, which marked the country's best-ever medal haul at an overseas edition of Winter Games since the country's debut in 1980 at Lake Placid, New York.

Team China's overall progress in winter sports was also underlined by the fact that 49 athletes have reached at least the top eight in their respective events in Italy, up from 37 at the home Games in Beijing four years ago.

Inspirational breakthroughs included men's speed skater Ning Zhongyan's career-first gold in the Western-dominated 1,500m event. Ning edged out reigning world champion and title favorite Jordan Stolz of the United States in a thrilling final on Thursday, proving the collective improvement of China's winter sports programs.

Tong Lixin, deputy head of the Chinese delegation at Milano-Cortina 2026, said, "The solid steps forward made by our athletes at these Games have made a strong statement of the increasing, and more balanced, winter sports prowess of our country, consolidating the foundation built from Beijing 2022."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn