Chinese star Eileen Gu has revealed she suffered the heartbreaking loss of her grandmother just moments after winning her gold medal at the Winter Olympics in the halfpipe. The 22-year-old was late for her press confrerence after winning the Livigno event having been told of the sad news of her grandmother’s passing.

She said: “The reason I was late is that I just found out that my grandma passed away. She was a really big part of my life growing up and someone I looked up to immensely.”

The exact date of her grandmother’s death is unclear, but Gu paid an emotional tribute to her in the press conference and said: “She was so strong, she was a fighter and I think what’s so interesting is that a lot of people just cruise through life but 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. 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 promise her that I was going to win but I did promise her that I was going to be brave like she has been brave and 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 that I made my grandma and so I’m really happy that I was able to uphold that and hopefully do her proud but it’s also a really difficult time for me now so I really apologise for being late but that’s what was going on.”

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

Gu won gold to make herself the the most decorated Olympic freestyle skier of all time with six medals. After winning gold, she said: “I’m so proud of how I’ve done this Olympics. I chose to do three events knowing that I had to train halfpipe in two months, knowing that I would miss the half-pipe training in case I made big air finals, which I also hadn’t competed in in four years.

“Being able to really trust myself that when it came down to the moment, that I would be able to perform to the best of my ability regardless of medal colour or medal in general – that’s a big bet. And also the difficulty of competing in three events, making finals in three events. I had to compete six times.

“I kind of liken it to a marathon, but the pace of a 100m dash. Because every day is the Olympics. I have to give 100 per cent every day. So there’s no day that I can just chill a little, because every day matters.

“So I guess what I mean to say with that is I have done something that I took a big risk in trusting myself, and I’m glad that I did. I walk away as the most decorated free skier of all time, male or female, and the most gold medals of any free skier ever, male or female. And that is something that I’m so, so proud of. It’s unbelievable to me. It’s still surreal.”

It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride at the Winter Olympics for Gu, who has come under fire for her decision to represent China, despite being born and raised in the United States. She grew up in San Francisco and represented Team USA until the age of 15, when she switched allegiance to her mother’s country of birth, with some fans claiming sponsorship money from China was the real motivation behind the switch.

However, Gu has strongly denied the allegations and told TIME Magazine: “I’m glad that there’s enough money in the sport now for people to think that’s a consideration.”

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activateor add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.