[OLYMPICS] Canada’s Megan Oldham Wins Gold in Women’s Ski Big Air While Eileen Gu Falls Short

Canada’s Megan Oldham won gold in women’s ski big air on Monday, February 16, at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The event featured the 12 best skiers from the qualifying round, who each competed for a spot on the podium. The event was held in Livigno, Italy, and featured a massive scaffolding jump where skiers flew 180 feet (55 meters) and attempted to pull off impressive tricks to impress the judges. Each skier had three attempts at the jump, with their top two scores being combined for their overall score.

Oldham would come out of the event victorious, earning her second medal of this year’s Olympics. Oldham took the bronze in slopestyle earlier in the games, putting her on a short list of multiple athletes with multiple medals in 2026.

Oldham only needed her first two runs to end up on top. Her first run featured a switch left 1260 (three and a half rotations), earning her a score of 91.75. Her second run was a left 1260, earning her a score of 89.00. She finished with a combined score of 180.75 and the Olympic gold medal.

Oldham’s score was just enough to beat China’s Eileen Gu, who was fighting for her second gold medal in big air after her victory in the event at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, China. Despite landing two impressive runs, scoring 90.00 and 89.00, her combined score of 179.00 was just shy of Oldham’s 180.75, securing Gu’s second silver medal of this year’s Olympic Games. Gu will now turn her attention to women’s ski halfpipe, with the qualifying round being held on Thursday, February 19 at 1:30 PM EST.

Italy’s Flora Tabanelli came away with the bronze, medaling on home snow. The 18-year-old Italian landed a switch left 1080 (three rotations) and a left 1440 (four rotations), earning her a score of 178.25 and a bronze medal in her home country.

This event saw the level of women’s skiing big air being pushed forward with impressive tricks and big spins. Freestyle skiing will come to an end for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics with the men’s and women’s halfpipe, which will see the qualifying rounds going down later this week.