The recently concluded Beijing Winter Olympics brought its fair share of joy to winter athletes all across the globe. Among them were a Chinese and an Estonian freestyle skier who had both tasted success in the competition. In a recent update, both have also missed out on the X Games due to a common injury. Having spent a lot of time together skiing, as luck (bad) would have it, they were both injured on the ‘same day’ in the ‘same knee’. Fans and well-wishers are pouring in their support for both of these athletes.
In a recent Instagram post, one of them shared an update about their current condition and how disappointed they are at missing the X Games. However, both of them see the funny side of the coincidence and are, hence, smiling in the picture while with crutches. Fans wished them a speedy recovery.
Fans shower their love and support on both freestyle skiers
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Eileen Gu and Kelly Sildaru have recently injured themselves, leaving them with swollen knees. Gu wrote on her Instagram, “Knees puffier than our eyes. Same knee, same day. We’re bummed to have missed out on Xgames this time around but feels a little bit better going through it together ❤️ from competitors -> rehab buddies let’s getittttt”. Their supporters were more than kind in their responses. Here’s how they reacted.
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“You’ve got this girls. All my strength to you two ❤️❤️👯”
“❤️❤️heal up quick ladies”
“We wish you both a speedy recovery. 🙏🏻❤️”
“Sending fast & smooth healing vibes. ❤️”
“Speedy recovery to both of you!!! ✨✨”
“You guys!!!! How about you stand next to each other on a different podium next year? ❤️❤️❤️”
“Everyone is getting injured rn. us cripples are on the come up 💪😤”
“When are you and @emmaraducanu going skiing together?”
With one fan mentioning the podium finish, it is worth noticing that Eileen Gu and Kelly Sildaru won two of the three medals in one of the competitions at the Winter Olympics. Here’s how they performed.
Gu and Sildaru have performed exceptionally as freestyle skiers across championships
While Gu won two gold medals (Bag Air, Halfpipe) and a Silver medal (Slopestyle), Sildaru won her first-ever Olympic bronze in Slopestyle. Besides them, Chloe Kim also won Gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics in Snowboarding Halfpipe and was lauded by Gu, among others. Gu and Sildaru, however, both won gold medals at the World Youth Olympics in 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland. They won in the same categories in Beijing, Gu in Bag Air, Halfpipe, and Sildaru in Slopestyle.
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Ailing Eileen Gu wins #Gold in the Women’s #FreestyleSkiing Big Air Final!
What an incredible last jump to win it all!#Beijing2022
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 8, 2022
Both have also previously won multiple Golds at the World X Games. While Gu won two in Superpipe and Slopestyle, Sildaru has won four in Slopestyle alone in various editions.
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Both these freestyle skiers are creating history in their own right in their own disciplines. Gu had previously participated from the USA before shifting to China, whereas Sildaru happens to be the most popular Estonian on Instagram. It’s no wonder they have such devoted and die-hard fans, who have previously also slated Gu as the ‘sexiest woman in the world’.