Gu won gold in the women’s halfpipe final after taking two silver medals in other events at the Games.

She said she learned after the competition that her grandmother, Feng Guozhen, had died following a serious illness, according to a reporter for Olympics.

“She was a really big part of my life growing up, and someone I looked up to immensely,” Gu said.

“The last time I saw her before I came to the Olympics, she was very sick, so I knew that this was a possibility. I didn’t probably say that I was going to win, but I did promise her that I was going to be brave. She’s been brave.”

Her medals became keepsakes as she bid farewell to her grandmother. During several of Gu’s running races, her grandmother cheered her on in English, “Eileen Gu, Number 1.”

“That’s why I keep referring to this theme of betting on myself and being brave and taking risks. It actually goes back to that promise I made my grandma. I’m really happy that I was able to uphold that and hopefully do her proud.

“She was a steamship. This woman commanded life, and she grabbed it by the reins, and she made it into what she wanted it to be. And she inspired me so much,” Gu said.

Feng graduated from Xi’an Jiao Tong University in 1955 with a degree in industrial electrification and later worked as an engineer at China’s Ministry of Transport, the China Daily reported. She enjoyed sports, played on her university’s women’s soccer and track teams.

At the Winter Olympics, Gu won one gold and two silver medals. With six Olympic medals across two Games, she became the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history. She is also the most decorated Chinese athlete in Winter Olympics history.

Gu, 22, was born and raised in San Francisco, California, to a Chinese immigrant mother and an American father. After her parents divorced, she was raised by her mother. She studied at Stanford University and has represented China in international competitions since 2019.

Her decision to compete for China instead of the U.S., where she trained, has sparked debate.

After the Olympics, Gu stayed in Milan, Italy, to attend fashion events, AFP said.

“I’m really excited to just explore some other avenues, be creative, and explore my femininity through fashion, which is something I’ve always loved, and to kind of put that in juxtaposition with skiing and with sports,” she said.

She also works as a model and regularly appears at fashion weeks and in advertisements for fashion brands.