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Megan Oldham is the third Canadian to earn multiple medals at the Milano-Cortina Olympics.
The freestyle skier scored a combined 180.75 points in her best two of three runs for gold in the women’s big air final to defeat Chinese superstar Eileen Gu (179) on Monday in Italy. They hugged before stepping on the medal podium.
“It feels incredible,” Oldham, 24, told reporters. “I’m still trying to process it all. It’s been such a dream of mine.
“I’m so proud of myself for being able to come out here and land the tricks that I wanted tonight and to show my best skiing and just make Canada proud.”
On Feb. 9, Oldham captured bronze in women’s slopestyle, her first medal at a Winter Games.
Mikaël Kingsbury (dual moguls gold, moguls silver) and short track speed skater Courtney Sarault (2,000m mixed relay silver, 1,000 silver, 500 bronze) are the other athletes with more than one medal for Canada, which has 11 overall.
Four years ago in Beijing, Oldham missed the podium, placing fourth in big air and 13th in slopestyle.
“I definitely felt like I left that Games a bit hungry to show more at this next Games,” the native of Parry Sound, Ont., said in a recent story on nbcolympics.com, “because I do feel like there was more potential for me to do better.”
WATCH | Oldham captures her 1st Olympic big air title by 1.75 points:
Megan Oldham captures Canada’s 2nd gold medal at Milano Cortina 2026
Megan Oldham of Parry Sound, Ont., added a gold medal in freeski big air Monday after having claimed slopestyle bronze at Milano Cortina 2026.
In big air, skiers get three jumps and must land two. Their scores include points for difficulty and execution.
Following a 75-minute delay to start Monday’s competition due to wind and blowing snow, Oldham began her road to gold with a backwards entry for a switch double cork 1260 with safety grab. She earned 91.75 points, putting her in silver position.
[It’s] a fairly new trick for me this year. It’s pretty technical with the take-off. You have to be really careful [so] I’m really happy that,” Oldham said. “I was able to get that one down in the first run.”
In her second run, Oldham attempted a double cork 1260 with mute grab. She landed cleanly and scored 89.00 for a combined 180.75 to take the lead. Oldham had an inconsequential fall on her third jump, the last of the final, which became a victory lap.
WATCH | Oldham — ‘I’m so grateful’ to be an Olympic champion:
Canada’s Megan Oldham after winning Olympic freeski big air gold, ‘I’m a bit stunned’
After capturing slopestyle bronze, Megan Oldham of Parry Sound, Ont., added a gold medal in freestyle big air Monday at Milano Cortina 2026.
Oldham noted it was difficult to maintain the proper mindset during a long delay.
“I just tried to tell myself that we’re still doing it and stay in that game headspace,” she said. “I was just trying to stay warm, keep my body moving and visualizing my tricks so I was ready to go once we were back out there.”
On Saturday, Oldham qualified first for the final, compiling 171.75 points, one more than Gu, who had not competed in big air since her 2022 Olympic victory.
Oldham, who captured 2023 world bronze in big air, has 11 career World Cup podiums, including four victories.
WATCH | Oldham raises both arms, looks to the ski before receiving gold medal:
Megan Oldham of Canada receives her Olympic freeski big air gold medal
Megan Oldham of Parry Sound, Ont., is presented her second Olympic medal of the games, this time a gold in freeski big air at Milano Cortina 2026.
Canada’s Urness 6th in first Olympics
Italy’s Flora Tabanelli (178.25) took bronze on Monday at Livigno Snow Park four months after a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee, while Oldham’s teammate, Naomi Urness of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was sixth in her Olympic debut.
Earlier this season, the 21-year-old Urness reached the medal podium in the first three World Cup events she entered in November/December — Secret Garden, China (silver), Beijing (bronze) and Steamboat Springs, Colo. (gold).
Her first World Cup win came Dec. 13 when she defeated Ukraine’s Kateryna Kotsar.
The initial final field of 12 was reduced by two after Mathilde Gremaud and Anouk Andraska, both of Switzerland, got hurt practising jumps before the final. Gremaud, who defended her Olympic slopestyle title last week, hurt her hip and was taken off the course on a stretcher. She had qualified third for Monday’s big air final. Andraska hurt her wrist.
