Gu Ailing of China during the FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships at Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen, U.S., March 13, 2021. /CFP
Chinese freeskier Gu Ailing won a bronze medal during the women's big air event at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in Aspen, U.S., on Tuesday.
Along with her two gold medals in freeski halfpipe and slopestyle events respectively, the 17-year-old Youth Olympic champion has made history as the first Chinese freeskier to win multiple medals at the world championships.
She finished sixth in Monday's big air qualifiers and then stormed to a third-place finish in the final on Tuesday.
Gu Ailing of China competes during the women's freeski big air qualifiers at the FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships at Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen, U.S., March 15, 2021. /CFP
Born to a Chinese mother and an American father, Gu became China's first naturalized skier in 2019.
"I have decided to compete for China in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics," she announced on Instagram on June 7, 2019. Two months later, Gu bagged her first gold medal for China at the Australia New Zealand Cup in the women's slopestyle event.
Her strength continued to grow in 2020 as she clinched two golds and one silver at the Winter Youth Olympics in Leysin, Switzerland, in January and two golds at the FIS World Cup in Calgary, Canada, in February.
Gu Ailing of China competes during the women's freeski big air qualifiers at the FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships at Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen, U.S., March 15, 2021. /CFP
Russian athletes Anastasia Tatalina and Lana Prusakova finished first and second respectively in the big air final.
According to the Olympic Channel, Tatalina is the first athlete representing the Russian Ski Federation to claim a victory and also the first woman to put down left and right side double cork 1260s in competition.
Russian athletes can only represent the federation instead of the country as a result of the decision taken by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
On December 9, 2019, the WADA banned Russia from global sporting events including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games and Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games after accusing Moscow of falsifying data from an anti-doping laboratory.
"The decision taken by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 17 December 2020 regarding the case of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) needs to be strictly and consistently implemented across the Olympic Movement," read a statement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Read more:
Sanctioned Russia to compete under ROC acronym in Tokyo, Beijing Olympics
Gu Ailing secures world double after capturing freeski slopestyle title in Aspen
Winter sports trailblazers: China's first naturalized skier Gu Ailing