China's two-time Olympic champion Gu Ailing wins women's slopestyle gold in Laax

China's double Olympic champion Gu Ailing proved once again that her greatness extends far beyond the halfpipe by successfully defending her women's slopestyle title for her record-extending 20th win in the FIS Freeski World Cup in Laax, Switzerland.

The innovative Laax course was both a playground and a test. A spherical obstacle challenged skiers in the opening rail section, while the final jump featured a specially built "butter pad" designed to encourage creative takeoffs, placing a premium on technical control throughout the run. 

In a finals format where each athlete got only two runs, Gu seized the win immediately. She posted a commanding first-run score of 85.13 points, finishing more than thirteen points clear of American runner-up Marin Hamill, who scored 71.38. Austria's Lara Wolf takes third with 67.85. This triumph marks Gu's fourth World Cup slopestyle victory.  

The discipline holds special significance as it was the only event in which she did not win gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics where she took silver. Now, as she heads to the Milan-Cortina Winter Games next month, she is the overwhelming favorite to finally add Olympic slopestyle gold to her collection.

Saturday's competitions in Laax also featured the men's snowboard slopestyle semifinals, where Su Yiming was the sole Chinese in the event. In his first run, he delivered a modest performance. A slight rhythm disruption on the second jump affected the overall fluidity and completeness of his routine, earning him a score of 60.78 points. 

During his second run, Su made an error and was unable to improve his score, finishing 12th and securing the last qualification spot for the final. The final will take place later on Sunday, with Su scheduled to start first.

In the women's snowboard halfpipe final, China's Cai Xuetong took bronze with 75.25 points. Choi Gaon from the Republic of Korea won gold with 92.50 points, Japan's Rise Kudo took silver with 82.75.