Livigno, Italy - Feb 17, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Canadian Freeskier Megan Oldham showing her Olympic medals
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Megan Oldham, gold medalist, Women's Freeski Big Air:
"It's been absolutely incredible. This has been an Olympic Games that has surpassed all my wildest dreams, for sure. I wanted to come here and get one medal and go home with that -- and to have two and be Olympic champion, is just, it's crazy. That first run, I feel like really sets you up for the rest of the competition, so I was just trying to really focus on that one and make sure that I landed it clean, to kind of build up that confidence and keep the momentum going for the rest of the competition."

Milan, Italy - Feb 5, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Mascots of 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games waving

Livigno, Italy - Feb 17, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Megan Oldham, gold medalist, Women's Freeski Big Air (starting with shot 3):
"Eileen [Gu] is such a talented skier. She's so good under pressure, and it's really hard to know what she's going to do, because she's always learning new tricks and always kind of pulling something out that we don't expect. So I just knew today, going in, that I needed to really put my best skiing forward, and no matter what, showcase that, and I was hoping it would be enough to stand next to her, and luckily it was."

FILE: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - Feb 4, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of Olympic rings, Dolomite Mountains

Canada's Megan Oldham kept a cool head to rise above challenging weather and intense competition as she claimed gold in the Women's Freeski Big Air at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Monday.

The much-anticipated final was delayed by more than an hour because of strong wind and snowfall at the Livigno Snow Park on Monday, putting more pressure on competitors as they awaited clearance for the event to finally go ahead.

In the end, Oldham landed the biggest prize of her career as she clinched gold with scores of 91.75 and 89.00 in her first two runs, and though she did not improve on her final run, she had done enough to fend off her nearest rivals.

The victory secured her second medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, after she took bronze in the women's slopestyle earlier in the Games.

Proudly wearing her two medals round her neck, Oldham shared her emotions in a post-competition interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Tuesday.

Given how athletes' preparations had been hampered by the weather in the lead up to the final, Oldham emphasized the importance of ensuring she delivered a solid opening run to set the tone.

"It's been absolutely incredible. This has been an Olympic Games that has surpassed all my wildest dreams, for sure. I wanted to come here and get one medal and go home with that -- and to have two and be Olympic champion, is just, it's crazy. That first run, I feel like really sets you up for the rest of the competition, so I was just trying to really focus on that one and make sure that I landed it clean, to kind of build up that confidence and keep the momentum going for the rest of the competition," said the Canadian.

The 24-year-old freeskier, who just missed the medals after finishing fourth at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, also spoke with deep respect for her rival, China's Gu Ailing, the defending champion from 2022.

Despite a four-year absence from international competition since her big win in Beijing, Gu opened strongly with a 90.00-point first run but a slight slip in her second run dented her charge. However, she fought back under immense pressure to record a score of 89.00 in the final run, securing silver and bagging her fifth Olympic freeski medal overall.

Oldham was full of praise for Gu, and said she knew she would have to be at her very best to have a chance of beating the reigning Olympic champion.

"Eileen [Gu] is such a talented skier. She's so good under pressure, and it's really hard to know what she's going to do, because she's always learning new tricks and always kind of pulling something out that we don't expect. So I just knew today, going in, that I needed to really put my best skiing forward, and no matter what, showcase that, and I was hoping it would be enough to stand next to her, and luckily it was," said the Canadian.

Meanwhile, there was delight for the home crowd as Italy's 18-year-old Flora Tabanell bagged bronze with a stunning 94.25 in her final run.