Chinese superstar Eileen Gu has revealed the super food that fuelled her rise to the top of Olympic freeskiing.
Gu, who has already claimed gold in the big air and silver in the slopestyle in Beijing, today remained on course for a third Winter Olympic medal by qualifying top in the women's halfpipe final.
The 18-year-old, who was born and raised in the United States but opted in 2019 to compete internationally for China, has regularly travelled to New Zealand to hone her craft on the ski fields at Cardrona.
And Gu today disclosed the secret behind her success.
"I have spent a significant amount of time at Cardrona over my summer - your guys' winter - and I had a meat pie every day for two months," she told Sky Sport.
"I don't think I realised - people were like, 'Oh, that's so unhealthy', but I was like, 'What do you mean, it's delicious, they're fantastic'. I guess I didn't realise it was not meant to be an every-single-day thing for lunch, but it stuck with me.
"Last year I couldn't go back because of Covid, so I actually baked my own meat pie at home, and it was delicious.
"I came downstairs in the morning and there was only like one little piece left, and I was like, 'Where did the rest go?' And my mum ate it overnight."
Eileen Gu of Team China in action during the women's freeski halfpipe qualification. Photo / Getty
Gu's performances at these Games have captured the imagination of the host nation and only increased her profile, having already attracted million-dollar sponsorship deals.
And along with the humble pie, her connection to New Zealand extends to Kiwi skiing coach Brad Prosser, who first met Gu when she was 10.
"Brad helped me so much, especially in halfpipe," Gu said. "We always say that Brad is probably responsible for making me the halfpipe skier that I am today.
"I actually wasn't a pipe skier until two seasons ago, when I started working with Brad. He was like, 'Hey, I know you're not really into pipe, but let's just try it'. And it just clicked like that.
"So, for sure, so much credit goes to Brad. We're still on super good terms and reach out all the time. I'll text him after this."
