“A rollercoaster of emotions”: Mathilde Gremaud tells her Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games story

“It was quite intense and really good. I had a lot of fun.”

Mathilde Gremaud often has a lot of fun in Asia.

Four years ago, at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, the Swiss freestyle skier won a silver medal in slopestyle against the odds.

Beijing 2022, however, was altogether different when it came to expectations.

In 2020, the 22-year-old became the first woman to land a switch double cork 1440, and she repeated the feat in 2021 in competition during the X Games.

Her history-making efforts signalled her medal potential for the Games in the People’s Republic of China but, after a shaky season start that involved several crashes - including one that led to a concussion - just what form the seven-time X Games medallist would be in upon her arrival in the Chinese capital was a question no one could answer.

Except Gremaud.

When the Swiss ski star snagged bronze in her first competition, the big air event, it was clear she had come to compete:

“We started with big air and I really wanted a medal”, she told Olympics.com after taking part in the first ever big air event in the history of the Games. “I was relieved when it came. From that moment on, I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. The slopestyle training sessions were really hard. But it all ended well.”

Mathilde Gremaud: “I cried for half an hour”

Although the Swiss had accomplished her big air medal mission there was still the slopestyle event waiting for her a week later, and the wait - she admitted - was hard to live through.

“Actually, right after the big air event, I was super motivated for the slopestyle. I was excited because big air is really fast whereas the slopestyle event is more fluid, there’s a whole run to go through and I love skiing.

“But a little while after the first event, I felt completely empty. I had gotten such a great reward, especially after the start of my season.

“I went to the first training session and at the end, I was shattered.

“On the day of the qualifiers, I told myself that I had to give it my all for the last two days of competition. I did a really weird run and I scared myself on my second jump. So, I said: ‘I don’t think I can manage’. We were going up on the chairlift and my coach asked me if I was doing OK. I started crying and it didn’t stop for half an hour. I missed half of the training session.”

Mathilde Gremaud: “I had another opportunity; I was going to try and grab it”

The slopestyle world championship silver medallist's confidence was at an all-time low, and the following qualifiers were not altogether reassuring.

“Before my first qualifying run, I wasn’t sure I could manage. On top of that, I did the most stupid run I could ever do: after my two rides, I did exactly the same three jumps. I had another opportunity; I was going to try and grab it. I was a bit lucky to qualify.”

After her second qualifying run, the Fribourg native lost control of her own destiny. She had to wait for the last competitor to go through to find out if she would make it to the finals.

When the last competitor finished their run, Gremaud was awash with relief - she had claimed the 12th and final qualification spot to eke through.

Gremaud: “Falling in my first run in the final was a good thing”

Just like the start of her season and the qualifiers, Gremaud's final didn’t begin in the best of ways.

In her first of three runs, the Swiss fell and damaged her skis. Though far from ideal in an Olympic final, the broken equipment enabled her to shift her mindset:

“Falling in my first run was a good thing in the end. It distracted me because I had to go and repair my skis. One piece of the ski got detached; it wasn’t working well anymore. I got new skis in the end. It took my time and I didn’t think about my fall anymore.

“Before my second run, I was laughing and I was wondering why it had happened. But it was fine, I still had two runs to go.”

With her fall firmly in the back of her mind Gremaud did what all great champions do - she rose to the challenge.

The freeskier put down a blistering second run earning her 86.56 points and the lead.

Having qualified for the final last, Gremaud started each run first. What followed was an intriguing wait as she studied the rest of the field trying to match her:

“It wasn’t too bad to be there and watch everyone. I was the first one to go so I could watch the other 11 girls. It was a nice day; everybody was having fun. It was pretty cool to watch. At the same time, when I saw a little mistake, I thought that it was good for me. And it was like that until the last run. I was crossing my fingers.”

Ailing (Eileen) Gu: “Mathilde, you killed the game; you’re my inspiration”

The women's slopestyle final also featured one of the biggest stars of the Olympic Games: Ailing (Eileen) Gu.

Already an Olympic gold medallist from big air, the American-born Chinese athlete was aiming for a second title in slopestyle.

After two difficult runs, the 18-year-old had to give her all in the last run but it ultimately wasn't enough to match the bar set by Gremaud.

“Mathilde, you killed the game; you’re my inspiration”, Gu said when she arrived at the bottom of the park.

In the big air event, Gu had waited for her third and last run to take the lead and grab the gold medal, ahead of French skier Tess Ledeux. Knowing that her rival, and friend, was more than capable of once again saving the best to last, it was another anxious wait for the Swiss.

“Then, Ailing did her last run”, Gremaud remembers. “It was pretty perfect. But I was hopeful after my first jump because I don’t think a lot of judges were expecting it. So, I hoped that thanks to that jump, I would stay ahead. But, for sure, when she did her run, I knew it was going to be tight.”

Tight, it certainly was. In the end, just 0.33 points separated both athletes but it was ultimately Gremaud who finished on top to take the gold. She described waiting for confirmation with Gu:

“It was awesome. We were waiting for the score; we were laughing. Maybe we’ll both get gold? Or other medals? One silver, one bronze?

“In the end, we both got a little bit of gold. It was super cool. Those Games are incredible.”

“Everyone’s just super happy”

Some of the most iconic moments of Beijing 2022 came from athletes who displayed solidarity and friendship with their fellow competitors.

In freestyle skiing these moments were in abundance.

After the last scores had been revealed in the women’s slopestyle event, Gremaud and Gu jumped, screamed and hugged each other, as if the win wasn’t reserved to one person only.

“Everyone had that spirit. It’s always been that way and I hope it stays that way. We’re just really happy for each other," Gremaud explained.

"Ailing had already gotten a gold medal. She got silver this time but I think that at some level, in our sport at least, we’re just happy to get something. It’s hard to explain but it’s natural. Everyone’s just super happy.”

Happiness and joy to take part in history. The rest is extra.