This past Saturday (December 6), in Ruka, Finland, China’s freestyle skiing icon, Xu Mengtao, kicked off the Milano Cortina 2026 season in style by clinching gold in women’s aerials at the FIS Freestyle World Cup. At 35, Xu is aiming for a historic fifth appearance at the Winter Games, and she made her case impossible to ignore 🎿❄️.
Beijing 2022 Olympic champion Xu reaffirmed her dominance with the night’s most daring jump – a back full-full-full – earning an impressive 89.29 points. Canada’s Marion Thenault took silver (82.48), while China’s Chen Meiting grabbed bronze with 75.31.
"Today was a very difficult day for me, but I did it," Xu said. "I had nice quality and good landings on my triples. My goal is to do my best at the Olympic Games."
This victory marks Xu’s 30th individual World Cup gold, cementing her legacy as one of the most decorated athletes in women’s aerials.
With Milano Cortina 2026 on the horizon, all eyes are on Xu Mengtao as she chases Olympic glory once more 🥇✨.
Reference(s):
Chinese veteran Xu Mengtao wins aerials gold at FIS World Cup in Ruka
cgtn.com
