Intense Competition at the Winter Olympics
The rivalry between Mathilde Gremaud and Irene Goux is really heating up. This morning, Gremaud of Switzerland managed to defend her gold medal in the women’s slopestyle final, edging out American-born Goux, who represents China.
In slopestyle, skiers are judged based on how difficult and well they execute various rails and jumps, with the best score from three runs counting in the overall result.
Goux’s final run didn’t go quite as planned. Despite being close behind, she finished with the silver medal, while Gremaud secured her gold with a remarkable score of 86.96 points, the highest of her three attempts. Goux’s best jump earned her a score of 86.58 points.
Canada’s Megan Oldham took home the bronze, scoring 76.46 points.
For Goux, the path to beating Gremaud hinged on a strong final jump. Unfortunately, her chance slipped away after a mishap on the first rail, leading to a sideways fall. This mistake cost her dearly, and she teared up at the finish line, having missed gold by just 0.38 seconds.
Once Gremaud realized she’d clinched gold after Goux’s fall, she wrapped herself in the Swiss flag like a cloak and celebrated by taking a victory lap on the course. It was a touching moment as she embraced her teammates at the finish, marking her fourth Olympic medal.
Four years prior, Goux had been close as well, falling just 0.33 seconds short of a gold medal against Gremaud.
Interestingly, Goux has also made a name for herself beyond skiing. She achieved significant fame as a model and brand ambassador, reportedly earning $23 million.
2026 Winter Olympics
Though disappointed, Goux still has opportunities ahead. She will compete in the women’s big air and women’s halfpipe events, both of which she has medaled in before. In the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she became a sensation, winning three medals altogether—two golds in the big air and halfpipe, plus silver in the slopestyle. This made her the first freestyle skier ever to secure three medals in one Olympic Games.
With high expectations in the air for Goux, she aims to defend her title at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics.
