Ailing (Eileen) Gu leaning on 'special bond' with mother at Beijing 2022
The Chinese freestyle ski star's mother knows what to say in order to get her in the right frame of mind, as she bids for an historic third medal at the Winter Olympics.
Freestyle Skiing
They say a mother always knows best, which certainly seems to be the case for Chinese star Ailing (Eileen) Gu at Beijing 2022.
"Because my mum and I have spent so much time together, we've grown extremely close," Gu told Olympics.com after qualifying for the women's freeski halfpipe final.
"We're pretty much the same person. Despite the fact she's older than me, as I've grown up we've become more like friends and in that sense she understands the way my brain works extremely well and she knows what to say in the right moments.
"For example, yesterday in slopestyle I was feeling pretty tired after big air (in which she won the gold medal), and so she told me to pretend that my second run was my third run and to put the pressure on as she knew that's what I'd need to wake up."
It clearly worked, as Gu went on to land the silver medal in that slopestyle final, before two impressive halfpipe qualifying runs on Thursday (17 November).
"Today (in halfpipe qualifying) after my first run she said, 'That was amazing, just go out there and have fun and do whatever you want on your second run', but I'm positive she knew that I was going to do a safety run!"
A Gu family affair at Beijing 2022
In addition to her mother, Gu will also be able to count upon the support of her grandma at tomorrow's final.
In fact, the Beijing 2022 halfpipe event is the first time she has seen her Olympic champion granddaughter in final action.
"She's never watched me compete before, so I'm pretty excited," Gu told Olympics.com
"She's always saying, 'Be safe, be safe, be safe.' That's her biggest thing. I think she'll be proud of me no matter what, and for that I'm forever grateful, but of course I want to do my best and I want to be able to share that with her."
Where to watch Ailing (Eileen) Gu compete
From the Opening Ceremony to athlete action, here's where and how you can watch the Winter Games in your region via the Official Olympic Broadcast Partners