"Gu is the only woman at these Games attempting to compete in three freestyle disciplines. None of the other female halfpipe athletes are also competing in Big Air. Halfpipe demands dedicated, event-specific training to get the wall timing, amplitude control, and rhythm right. There are very few athletes who will compete across all three Park and Pipe events and even less who qualify in all three for the Olympics."
"According to Gu, she asked FIS for reasonable accommodations-including joining a snowboard halfpipe training session or receiving even one hour of solo pipe time. Both requests were denied. "Making finals in one event should not disadvantage me in another," she wrote. "Daring to compete in three events should not be penalized."Halfpipe is not plug-and-play. Missing a full training day at Olympic scale is significant, particularly on a venue built for maximum amplitude and precision."
Eileen Gu qualified for the Big Air finals but the final schedule conflicts with halfpipe training, forcing her to miss a full day of preparation for the women's halfpipe qualifications on February 19. Gu is the only woman at these Games attempting to compete in all three freestyle disciplines, and halfpipe requires event-specific practice to nail wall timing, amplitude control, and rhythm. Gu requested accommodations from FIS—joining a snowboard halfpipe session or receiving one hour of solo pipe time—but both requests were denied. Scheduling rigidity previously forced Ester Ledecká to forfeit a qualified downhill event. Gu is currently placed second in Big Air and looks forward to the final.
Read at SnowBrains
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