LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Moments after defending her Olympic halfpipe title and cementing her place as the most decorated freeskier in history, China's Gu Ailing revealed that she had just learned of the passing away of her grandmother, who she credits with teaching her to be brave.

Photo: Xinhua

Speaking at a press conference following her gold-medal performance at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, Gu apologized for arriving late and explained what had unfolded behind the scenes.

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

Gu described her grandmother as a formidable presence and a fighter who refused to cruise through life.

The 22-year-old revealed that her grandmother had been very sick when they last saw each other before the Olympics. Gu said she knew death was a possibility, but rather than promise victory, she made a different pledge.

"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," Gu said.

That promise, she said, became the through-line of her Olympic campaign, the source of the willingness to take risks, to bet on herself, to compete in three events with minimal halfpipe preparation.

Gu said she was happy to have upheld that promise and to have made her grandmother proud, but acknowledged the difficulty of the moment.

"It's also a really difficult time for me now," she said.

Earlier on Sunday, Gu delivered a final-run score of 94.75 to win gold in the women's freeski halfpipe, adding to the silvers she had already secured in slopestyle and big air. The medals brought her career Olympic tally to six across two Games, making her the most decorated freeskier of all time.