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Freeski star Gu survives major scare in Olympic slopestyle / Photo: © AFP
NYSE - LSE
Freeski star Gu survives major scare in Olympic slopestyle
China's freeski superstar Eileen Gu survived a huge scare on Saturday to progress to the final of the women's slopestyle as defending Olympic champion Mathilde Gremaud topped the list of qualifiers.
Double Olympic champion Gu lost her balance on the first rail during her initial run at Livigno Snow Park, scoring just 1.26 with the judges.
That put her under intense pressure, with the top 12 competitors progressing to Monday's final based on the better of their two runs.
There were no such problems for Switzerland's Gremaud, who soared to the top of the standings after a smooth first run on the sun-bathed course, posting a score of 76.68.
But Gu, second on the course, rescued herself in her second run, scoring 75.30 to climb into second place on the leaderboard, virtually assuring qualification for Monday's final.
Dressed in a white suit featuring Chinese dragon motifs, she punched the air and smiled as she drifted to a halt at the bottom of the course.
Gremaud, 25, posted an improved score of 79.15 in her second run to underline her dominance of the qualifying event.
Britain's Kirsty Muir, who won the World Cup slopestyle event in Aspen last month, was third on the leaderboard with a score of 64.98.
US-born Gu, 22, was one of the standout stars of the Beijing Games four years ago, scooping gold in the half-pipe and big air and taking silver behind Gremaud in slopestyle.
She is aiming for a clean sweep of three golds in all of her events at the Milan-Cortina Games.
In slopestyle, athletes navigate a course with a variety of obstacles, including rails and various jumps, and are judged on the breadth, originality, and quality of their stunts.
L. Rodrigues--JDB
