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Megan Oldham wins big air gold; Gu takes silver

Kagi News | 2026-02-16 21:15 UTC | source

🏂 Canada’s Megan Oldham won women’s freeski big air gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Livigno on Monday night, while China’s Eileen Gu took silver and Italy’s Flora Tabanelli earned bronze 31. Oldham topped the 10-woman final with 180.75 points from her best two jumps; Gu finished close behind on 179 3. A snowstorm pushed the final back by more than an hour, according to reporting from the event 1.

The night also brought another near-miss for Team GB. Scotland’s Kirsty Muir finished fourth again after falling on her final run, despite an “incredible” 93-point second jump that briefly put a medal within reach 769. Gu said she was proud of her big air silver, and she is still scheduled to compete in halfpipe on Saturday (Feb. 21) as she tries to defend her Olympic title 13.

Livigno, Italy
Kirsty Muir competes in the women’s freeski big air final at the Winter Olympics.
Kirsty Muir competes in the women’s freeski big air final at the Winter Olympics. — The Guardian

Sources

  1. China’s Eileen Gu ‘really proud’ of big air silver after inspired Oldham wins Games gold [scmp.com] (2026-02-16)
  2. Eileen Gu Doesn’t Appreciate Your Silver Medal Cynicism [time.com] (2026-02-17)
  3. Freestyle skier Eileen Gu takes silver in big air as Canada’s Megan Oldham wins Olympic gold [chicagotribune.com] (2026-02-16)
  4. Eileen Gu wins silver for 5th Olympic medal. Canadian Megan Oldham's gold is her 2nd of the Games - AP News [google.com] (2026-02-16)
  5. Muir fourth again after agonising tumble as Oldham wins big air gold for Canada - The Guardian [google.com] (2026-02-16)
  6. Muir fourth in big air in another medal near-miss [bbc.com] (2026-02-16)
  7. Muir finishes fourth again after fall on final run [bbc.com] (2026-02-16)
  8. GB's Muir 'proud' after consecutive fourth-place finishes [bbc.com] (2026-02-16)
  9. Muir fourth again after agonising tumble as Oldham wins big air gold for Canada [theguardian.com] (2026-02-16)

Highlights

  1. Oldham’s run plan: Oldham all but locked up gold with her first two jumps, then fell on her third in a low-stakes final run 3.
  2. Tabanelli’s grit: Tabanelli took bronze while competing with an injured ACL, according to race reporting from the final 39.
  3. Gu’s late push: Under pressure, Gu’s third-run left-side double cork 1260 helped secure silver, according to TIME’s description of her final attempt 2.
  4. Muir’s approach: Muir said she “really did have to go for it” as she chased the podium before her final-run tumble 9.

Perspectives

Eileen Gu: Gu pushed back on the idea of “golds lost,” saying Olympic medals are “life changing,” even as expectations keep rising.

Kirsty Muir: Muir said she had to attack the final jump to reach the podium, and later said she was “proud” after consecutive fourth-place finishes.

Eileen Gu: Gu said she was “really proud” of her silver after trying to defend her Beijing big air title. SCMP noted she entered as a contender despite not competing in big air for several years, and that the snowstorm delay gave her extra time to recover before her late runs.

Historical Background

Gu won three medals at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics—gold in big air and halfpipe and silver in slopestyle—becoming the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Games, according to reporting on her 2026 results 3. That report also notes Gu had not entered a big air contest since her Beijing triumph, focusing instead on other events leading into these Games 3.

Performance Statistics