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Home / Sport / Olympics

Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: 'I ate one every day for two months' - Chinese superstar Eileen Gu reveals love of Kiwi pies

NZ Herald
17 Feb, 2022 04:30 AM3 mins to read

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China's Olympic superstar Eileen Gu loves Kiwi pies. Photo / Getty
China's Olympic superstar Eileen Gu loves Kiwi pies. Photo / Getty

China's Olympic superstar Eileen Gu loves Kiwi pies. Photo / Getty

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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.

While Kiwi skiers Chloe McMillan and Anja Barugh struggled to make an impact in qualifying, New Zealand did enjoy strong representation at Genting Snow Park courtesy of Gu.

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.

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"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.

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"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
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.

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"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."

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