Gu relished the rivalry as healthy competition.

"I am not afraid of her or anyone. Whenever they complete high-difficulty tricks I applaud them and feel happy for them," she said.

"We are in this together and only together can we elevate women's freestyle skiing to the next level. I focus on my own performance, though, without caring too much how others are doing."

Also in the mix in a youthful Big Air battle are 20-year-old Tess Ledeux of France, the 2019 world champion, and Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud, 21, who has won three World Cup legs in the discipline.

Born in California in 2003, Gu attracted worldwide attention in June 2019 when she announced that she would represent China, her mother's home country, at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, a city she has visited regularly during her upbringing.

A fluent Mandarin speaker with a Beijing accent, Gu enjoys Peking Duck and homemade dumplings every time she returns to the Chinese capital, and says her decision to compete in a Chinese uniform felt both natural and incredibly exciting.

"Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations," she wrote in an Instagram post.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love."

Also a part-time model and ambassador for fashion brands and her numerous sponsors, Gu has been the face of glitzy marketing campaigns leading up to Beijing 2022. Success on the Olympic slopes will surely lift her popularity to a whole new stratosphere.

Gu showed off her "secret" Olympic gear on Chinese social media－a helmet, tailor-made suit and skis, all emblazoned with dragon patterns, which she hopes will bring her good luck on the snow.

"Dragons are powerful, magic and dramatic creatures. I think my personality in skiing resembles that of dragons," she said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"It's my first Olympic Games and I'm a little scared too. But I will always remember to enjoy the Games."