Freestyle skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics featured 18-year-old Eileen Gu capturing a historic three medals at her debut Games, and the U.S. team collecting a total of eight medals across men's freeski, women's and mixed team aerials and women's moguls.

China, for whom Gu competes, combined a double of the individual aerials events along with her wins in halfpipe and big air to claim four golds. Gu had another silver in slopestyle, as did the nation's mixed aerials team, upset by the Americans for the top prize.

Gu's two golds and a silver made her the first athlete competing in freestyle skiing to earn three medals at a single Olympics. Meanwhile, aerialist champions Qi Guangpu and Xu Mengtao were the only other two athletes to also gather at least a gold and a silver.

All season long Eileen Gu looked like the skier to beat. But she still had to prove it come Olympics time – and prove it she did, winning halfpipe gold, big air gold and slopestyle silver at her very first Olympic Winter Games, matching the results from one of her breakout moments at the 2020 Youth Olympics Games.

Born in San Francisco to an American father and Chinese mother, Gu is fluent in Mandarin and grew up taking yearly trips to Beijing with her mother, Yan, who was born there.

Gu initially represented the U.S. in her early years of competition but in 2019, announced she was switching her national affiliation in order to represent China at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

One of the sport's few triple-threats, meaning she competes in all three events, Gu entered the 2022 Games as the reigning world champion in both halfpipe and slopestyle and bronze medalist in big air.

In her first event of big air, Gu sent it and landed the first double cork 1620 she'd ever tried to take gold. She won her sole World Cup appearance in the event in December at Big Air Steamboat, stomping a women's competition-first double cork 1440.

“That was the best moment of my life. The happiest moment, day, whatever — of my life. I just cannot believe what just happened," Gu said. “That was a trick I have never done before, had never attempted before."

Later in slopestyle, Gu claimed silver with an 86.23 on Run 3, just 0.33 points behind winner Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland, who qualified into the final as the last spot in 12th.

"My goal coming into this Olympics was to win one gold, and have one more podium in a different event, so I've already met that goal and I'm going into my strongest event," Gu said.

Moving to halfpipe, Gu entered as the heavy favorite and didn't disappoint despite blustery weather conditions. She put together a near-perfect second run, reaching 14 feet in amplitude, and held off two Canadians for the gold.

The future Stanford student clinched the event's overall World Cup halfpipe crystal globe, having gone unbeaten on the year, with wins at the Copper Grand Prix, back-to-back at Calgary Snow Rodeo and the Mammoth Grand Prix.

"It has been two straight weeks of the most intense highs and lows I've ever experienced in my life," Gu said. "It has changed my life forever. The second I landed the last 16[20] in big air I knew my life was never going to be the same … never imagined that I'd walk away with another silver and another gold."

China had never won a medal in any of the three disciplines before the 2022 Games. Now they have a superstar.

Women's Big Air

(Qualifying / Final)

🥇 Eileen Gu (CHN)

🥈 Tess Ledeux (FRA)

🥉 Mathilde Gremaud (SUI)

American-born Eileen Gu of China landed her first-ever attempt at a four-and-a-half-rotation trick to secure the debut Olympic freeski big air gold, simultaneously checking off the first of three events in her triple title pursuit at the 2022 Winter Games. Reigning X Games champion Tess Ledeux of France landed the same double cork 1620 on her opening run for a 94.50, identical to the score Gu later received on hers in Run 3, but couldn't stick the landing on her other two attempts and frustratingly took runner-up silver. Swiss Mathilde Gremaud, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist in slopestyle, grabbed bronze on her 22nd birthday.

RECAP: China's Eileen Gu stomps 1620 to win first Olympic gold in freeski big air

Men's Big Air

(Qualifying / Final)

🥇 Birk Ruud (NOR)

🥈 Colby Stevenson (USA)

🥉 Henrik Harlaut (SWE)

New Hampshire-born Utahn freeskier Colby Stevenson captured silver amid a magnificent showing from Birk Ruud of Norway, winner of the event's first Olympic gold. Stevenson, who historically has had more success in slopestyle, washed out on the landing of his opening-run nosebutter triple cork 1620 attempt. But the 24-year-old fought back to stomp the same trick on Run 2 for a 91.75, then landed a huge switch double 1800 with massive air for a 91.25, totaling 183.00. Sweden's Henrik Harlaut took bronze in his third Winter Games appearance, while Stevenson's teammates Alex Hall placed a respective eighth.

RECAP: USA's Colby Stevenson struts style for ski big air silver behind Ruud of Norway

Women's Slopestyle

(Qualifying / Final)

🥇 Mathilde Gremaud (SUI)

🥈 Eileen Gu (CHN)

🥉 Kelly Sildaru (EST)

Mathilde Gremaud improved on her PyeongChang silver by winning gold, adding to a previous bronze in big air to complete a career medal trifecta — and consequently ending Eileen Gu's attempt to win all three women's freeski titles. The last of 12 qualifiers to advance to the final, Gremaud opened up competition by losing a ski on the first rail, then flew atop the leaderboard with a stellar Run 2, improving her score from a 1.10 to an 86.56. Gu claimed silver with an 86.23 on Run 3, just 0.33 points behind Gremaud, while Kelly Sildaru earned bronze for Estonia's first-ever Winter Olympic medal outside cross-country skiing.

RECAP: Gremaud upgrades to slopestyle gold, spoiling Eileen Gu's triple-title bid

Men's Slopestyle

(Qualifying / Final)

🥇 Alex Hall (USA)

🥈 Nick Goepper (USA)

🥉 Jesper Tjader (SWE)

Alex Hall threw down a super-progressive run to capture slopestyle gold, redeeming an unfortunate eighth-place result in last week's big air final. Teammate Nick Goepper repeated his silver from PyeongChang for a third career Winter Games medal. Alaska-born Hall, 23, opened up his winning run with a technical top section, tail-tapping a Section 3 rail with a 900-out before busting out a leftside double cork 1620 and a switch 720 to switch nosebutter 540 off "The Matrix" knuckle. On the final hit, he unleashed a rightside double 1080 pretzel 180 to score a 90.01, which ultimately held for the victory.

RECAP: Americans Alex Hall, Nick Goepper take gold, silver in ski slopestyle

Women's Halfpipe

(Qualifying / Final)

🥇 Eileen Gu (CHN)

🥈 Cassie Sharpe (CAN)

🥉 Rachael Karker (CAN)

Eileen Gu straight-aired a victory lap in the final with tears of joy, wrapping up a purely dominant performance at the 2022 Winter Olympics by claiming her second gold and third medal of the Games. The 18-year-old from San Francisco flexed on her second run with a near-perfect combination of tricks and outstanding amplitude, reaching nearly 14 feet above the 22-foot superpipe on an opening rightside cork 900 Buick grab before hitting back-to-back alley-oop flat spins to close for a 95.25. Two Canadians took silver and bronze: 2018 Olympic gold medalist Cassie Sharpe with a 90.75, and Rachael Karker with an 87.75.

RECAP: China's Eileen Gu triumphs in halfpipe for third medal of Games

Men's Halfpipe

(Qualifying / Final)

🥇 Nico Porteous (NZL)

🥈 David Wise (USA)

🥉 Alex Ferreira (USA)

Nico Porteous battled heavy wind gusts in the final to capture New Zealand's second-ever Winter Games gold, joined by fellow 2018 medalists David Wise and Alex Ferreira of the U.S. for a jumbled re-order of the PyeongChang podium. The reigning world and two-time X Games champion stomped back-to-back double cork 1620s in both directions on Run 1 to score a 93.00, ultimately earning him freestyle skiing's final title of the Games and upgrading his bronze from four years ago, won as he was just 16. This gave Team USA its seventh and eighth in freestyle skiing, the nation's most in any sport at the 2022 Games.

RECAP: USA's Wise, Ferreira hunt down medals, Kiwi Porteous pockets gold in ski pipe

Men's Moguls

(Q1 / Q2 / Finals)

🥇 Walter Wallberg (SWE)

🥈 Mikael Kingsbury (CAN)

🥉 Ikuma Horishima (JPN)

Sweden's Walter Wallberg spoiled the title defense bid of Canadian moguls legend Mikael Kingsbury in the first stunning result of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Wallberg beat Kingsbury in the second round, then sliced and diced his way through his super-final run with blistering speed to produce the top score of 83.23, earning Sweden its first Olympic gold in freestyle skiing. Kingsbury claimed his second Olympic silver, tying Norwegian mogul skier Kari Traa for most career medals in freestyle skiing with three, while Japan's Ikuma Horishima hung on for bronze.

RECAP: Wallberg upsets Kingsbury for moguls gold, USA's Page fifth

Women's Moguls

(Q1 / Q2 / Finals)

🥇 Jakara Anthony (AUS)

🥈 Jaelin Kauf (USA)

🥉 Anastasia Smirnova (ROC)

U.S. freestyle skier Jaelin Kauf executed a fast and aggressive super-final to capture silver, scoring three points off a dominant title-winning performance from Australian Jakara Anthony. Kauf attacked the course in her final run, clocking 26.37 seconds with a big backflip mute grab on the top jump to score an 80.28 and earn Team USA its second medal of the Games, following snowboarder Julia Marino's silver in slopestyle. It was also the first women's moguls medal since Hannah Kearney's bronze in 2014. Kearney, who also won 2010 gold in Vancouver, was on the call for NBC Olympics during the finals and Kauf's runs.

RECAP: American Jaelin Kauf nabs moguls silver behind Australia's Jakara Anthony

Mixed Team Aerials

(Finals)

🥇 USA (Caldwell / Lillis / Schoenefeld)

🥈 CHN (Xu / Jia / Qi)

🥉 CAN (Thenault / Fontaine / Irving)

Led by an insane jump from 2021 world silver medalist Chris Lillis, the U.S. team of Ashley Caldwell, Chris Lillis and Justin Schoenefeld defeated an overwhelming favorite China comprising Xu Mengtao, Jia Zongyang and Qi Guangpu to claim mixed team aerials gold in the event's Olympic debut. Lillis stomped a back double full-full-double full, also known as a quintuple-twisting triple – five twists and three flips – to record a 135.00 in Final 2, the biggest score of the night. Meanwhile, China's Jia Zongyang front-flipped on his attempt's landing, ultimately spoiling China's anticipated title in the event.

RECAP: U.S. upsets China for stunning gold in mixed team aerials

Women's Aerials

(Qualifying / Finals)

🥇 Xu Mengtao (CHN)

🥈 Hanna Huskova (BLR)

🥉 Megan Nick (USA)

American Megan Nick was the only women's aerials finalist to not perform a triple backflip on the last jump, but the Vermonter nonetheless flawlessly executed a less-difficult trick to claim bronze in her Winter Games debut. Under the lights amid frigid, minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit, Nick stuck a back full-double full in Final 1 for a 95.17, advancing as the fifth-best qualifier, then nailed the same jump in Final 2 with a clean, square exit to score a 93.76. China's Xu Mengtao captured gold, the first in women's aerials for China. The 2014 Olympic silver medalist and 2013 world champion entered as the No. 1 women's aerialist in the world.

RECAP: Xu Mengtao wins aerials gold; USA's Megan Nick earns bronze

Men's Aerials

(Qualifying / Finals)

🥇 Qi Guangpu (CHN)

🥈 Oleksandr Abramenko (UKR)

🥉 Ilya Burov (ROC)

Seeking aerials glory at his fourth Olympics after top-10 finishes at the last three, Qi Guangpu found elusive gold by sticking the sport's most challenging trick under pressure, completing China's double of the men's and women's events at the 2022 Winter Games. Qi, 31, stomped a beautiful back double full-full-double full — colloquially known as a quintuple-twisting triple backflip, or quin for short — with a touch of deep compression on the landing yet nearly perfect air and form for a 129.00, joining compatriot and women's victor Xu Mengtao as an Olympic champion.

RECAP: Qi Guangpu seals double gold for China in individual aerials

Women's Ski Cross

(Qualifying / Finals)

🥇 Sandra Naeslund (SWE)

🥈 Marielle Thompson (CAN)

🥉 Daniela Maier (GER)

Sandra Naeslund put on a clinic in the big final, claiming Olympic gold for her 10th major title of the season. The two-time world champion led the entire medal-deciding race from start to finish, and earlier cruised through the bracket with wins in her semifinal, quarterfinal and eighth-final, while also clocking the top time in seeding by nearly two seconds. Switzerland's Fanny Smith initially finished in third, repeating her 2018 result, but after a review, officials ranked her last due to apparent contact and promoted German Daniela Maier to bronze. Smith was second to Naeslund in five of her nine World Cup victories this season.

RECAP: Sweden's Naeslund punctuates dominant ski cross season with Olympic gold

Men's Ski Cross

(Qualifying / Finals)

🥇 Ryan Regez (SUI)

🥈 Alex Fiva (SUI)

🥉 Sergey Ridzik (ROC)

Teammates Ryan Regez and Alex Fiva finished one-two in the big final to capture gold and silver for Switzerland, the nation's first title in the event since claiming its Olympic debut crown in 2010. Reigning world champion Fiva, who clocked the fastest seed time, was out first over the wu-tangs, but World Cup leader Regez took over during the roller section and didn't look back, leading the tandem the rest of the way through the finish line. Despite ranking 29th of 32 in seeding, ROC's Sergey Ridzik finished third to repeat his bronze from PyeongChang.

RECAP: Swiss score 1-2 finish in men's ski cross for gold, silver

NBC Olympics Research contributed