American freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu said she was injured in a “very terrible accident” Friday while training in New Zealand, according to the South China Morning Post.
Gu — who resumed training last month after being injured at the Winter X Games in January — explained in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, that she was flown to Christchurch Saturday for medical imaging. She did not explain the extent of her injury.
According to South China Morning Post, eyewitnesses said Gu appeared to be seriously injured and was taken to the hospital on a stretcher.
“Unfortunately, a very terrible accident occurred yesterday due to human error,” Gu, 21, wrote. “I hope I can return to the snow soon, but I’m still waiting for confirmation from the expert team.”
The two-time Olympic champion explained that it is “dangerous to be interrupted” and cautioned not to film her during her training sessions.
“I have to concentrate fully during training, especially when I am preparing to start, as it’s very dangerous to be interrupted,” Gu said. “I also have to focus on picturing and imagining the moves while on the cable car.
“In order to save time, I don’t have lunch breaks and try to use the bathroom as little as possible. So please don’t record or take photos while I’m training.”
Gu reportedly offered to do a meet-and-greet with fans at the resort’s restaurant in the afternoon after the ski park was closed.
In January, the San Francisco native withdrew from the big air and halfpipe competitions at X Games Aspen 2025 after falling and injuring herself.
Gu won two gold medals and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, making her the first freestyle skier to secure three medals at a single Games.
The American-born skier raised eyebrows in the summer of 2019 when she announced that she would represent her mother’s native China in the Beijng Winter Games. Her father is American.
The matter put Gu in the international spotlight and she reportedly dodged questions about the controversy surrounding her decision at the time.
She holds the record for the most freestyle skiing World Cup titles (15) in history.
Gu is also a model with IMG, having secured high-fashion campaigns with Louis Vuitton and more luxury brands. She made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in the 2025 issue, released in May.
She attended Stanford after the 2022 Winter Olympics.