Mason Mount has been ruled out of Chelsea's next two matches with a foot injury, but Thomas Tuchel is pushing for the midfielder to return in time for next week's EFL Cup final.

England international Mount limped off in the first half of Chelsea's Club World Cup final victory against Palmeiras last weekend after damaging ligaments in his ankle.

That was the 23-year-old's 34th appearance of the season in all competitions, level with Antonio Rudiger for the most of any Chelsea player.

Mount's 15 direct goal involvements this season are the most of any Blues player, the England international having scored seven and assisted eight.

Tuchel is therefore eager to get Mount back to fitness in time for the EFL Cup final with Liverpool at Wembley on February 27.

Asked for an update on when Mount could return, Tuchel said at a news conference on Friday: "We will push for the EFL Cup final. We will push. 

"He has injured ligaments. Returning against Lille in the Champions League [on Tuesday] seems very, very close, but we will try hard for the EFL Cup final."

Tuchel also confirmed ahead of Saturday's trip to London rivals Crystal Palace that Reece James – who has not played since December – is set to return to training next week.

Cesar Azpilicueta is therefore expected to fill in once again on the right-hand side of the defence against Palace, a week on from lifting the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

The Spain international has won every trophy available at club level with Chelsea, but he is set to become a free agent at the end of the campaign.

Tuchel remains a big fan of the long-serving defender, who has racked up more than 450 appearances for the club.

"He's always important; he has been super important since day one," Tuchel said. "We had a good connection from the first day.

"He gets better with every game he plays, he leads by example, which is always super nice to have.

"Now he has collected so many trophies and an incredible career at one club which is outstanding.

"He embodies everything that Chelsea stands for, being relentless, humble and a warrior at the same time. I'm happy to have him."

Pep Guardiola only got a grip of the danger Manchester City were in when he watched footage of the team's aborted landing on their return from Lisbon, hailing a "magnificent" pilot.

A video posted online showed the aeroplane on which City were travelling being rocked by high winds on Wednesday afternoon as it approached Manchester Airport.

That was the effect of Storm Dudley, which has been followed by Storm Eunice, as the United Kingdom has been hit hard by inclement weather.

But Guardiola hailed a hero pilot for keeping City's travelling party calm and negotiating a safe landing in Liverpool after struggling with the Manchester approach.

The team were on their way back from Portugal after a stunning 5-0 win at Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

"To be honest, when I saw the video, I said, 'Wow, it was more scary than we felt'," Guardiola said on Friday.

"It was bumping a lot, like many times. It was a moment like we were going down, and immediately the engines started to roll on, and we go up, and in the moment we said, 'Oh, something happened'.

"But we had a pilot who did incredibly well. He talked to us and was so calm and said, 'It's wind, so we're going to try again to land in Manchester'. After five minutes he said we were going to land in Liverpool.

"The pilot was magnificent because we felt a little bit anxious, but thanks to the words and the way he talked to us, everyone was calm."

Guardiola joked that City received a familiar warm welcome on Merseyside. His team and Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are the Premier League's current established top two.

"For sure," said City's manager. "Always they are so kind to us."

Speaking in a news conference at 13:30 GMT on Friday, ahead of Saturday's clash with Tottenham, Guardiola said his players would be heading out to train in the wind later in the day.

"We're going to train now in two hours," he said. "Hopefully with the wind we cannot miss players flying to the sky, so we'll see."

Eddie Howe is hopeful Kieran Trippier will play for Newcastle United again this season, but stated the right-back's injury is "significant".

Trippier was the first arrival under Howe and the new ownership at Newcastle last month, and has played a key role in helping the Magpies turn their form around.

Newcastle are out of the bottom three in the Premier League after three successive victories, beating Leeds United, Everton and Aston Villa respectively.

England international Trippier has scored in both of the last two matches, but he sustained a fracture in his left foot during the win over Villa.

Newcastle confirmed on Monday that the 31-year-old had fractured his fifth metatarsal bone, though no timescale was placed on his return.

Initial reports suggested that Trippier would need between eight and 10 weeks to fully recover.

On Friday, while previewing Newcastle's clash with West Ham, Howe confirmed Trippier's surgery had been a success.

"He had his operation yesterday and that went well, so that was good news," Howe told a news conference.

"We aim to have him back before the end of the season, but it's a significant injury which is a big blow for us."

Trippier's back-up, Javier Manquillo, suffered an ankle injury in the Villa match, and Howe confirmed the Spaniard would also be missing against West Ham on Saturday.

"Manquillo went off in the same game after landing awkwardly on his ankle following a header," Howe said. "We don't think that's serious, but he will miss the game. Apart from that, we're as we were."

A fellow new arrival in January was midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, though the Brazil international is yet to make his full debut for Newcastle, having instead had to settle for two substitute appearances.

"It's a really strong area, probably our strongest in terms of personnel," Howe said of Newcastle's midfield. "Every player would have an argument to say I deserve to start so long may that continue.

"Bruno will start a lot of games for us and will be a huge player. I don't think this period where he's watching and learning from the Premier League is a bad thing for him, although it will frustrate him because he wants to show his talent."

Due to gale-force winds hitting the United Kingdom from Storm Eunice, Newcastle will not be flying down to London, but instead they faced a seven-hour coach journey to the capital ahead of Saturday's early kick-off.

However, recent history is on their side. Newcastle have won their last two Premier League away games against West Ham, and have tasted victory on the road against the Hammers 10 times. They have not won more often on the road against any other side in the competition.

Pat Perez insisted Phil Mickelson "doesn't speak for me" after the latter's inflammatory comments over a possible Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League.

A number of high-profile players are said to have been targeted by organisers of the lucrative Saudi-backed breakaway, including Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau.

But the most prominent names to have discussed the league publicly – including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa – have instead pledged their allegiance to the PGA Tour.

In a remarkable interview with the Fire Pit Collective's Alan Shipnuck, who is releasing a biography on Mickelson in May, the six-time major champion claimed that he and several other golfers paid their lawyers to construct the proposed breakaway competition's operating agreement.

This, as Mickelson put it, would be to "reshape how the PGA Tour operates", even though he stated Saudi Arabia has "a horrible record on human rights" and are "scary m*****f****** to get involved with".

"Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates," Mickelson explained.

"As nice a guy as [tour commissioner Jay] Monahan comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won't do what's right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage.

"I'm not sure I even want [Super Golf League] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour."

Justin Thomas, after his opening round at the Genesis Invitational, branded Mickelson's comments as "egotistical".

Speaking after going round in 70 on day one at the same event, Perez also hit out at the former world number two.

"He's made $800million on the Tour, I don't know what could be so bad about the Tour," Perez said.

"He doesn't speak for me. He's had an amazing career. He obviously thinks there's something else on the other side for him going down the line. If he gets it, great.

"I don't know what Phil's doing. I know Phil's got a lot of stress in life right now, and I don't know what he's doing."

Mickelson also claimed that "if the tour doesn't do the right thing, there is a high likelihood it's going to happen", and that around 20 players had signed up to the proposal.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp claims the extent of Diogo Jota's injury is not yet clear, although the Portuguese forward will definitely miss their Premier League clash with Norwich City at Anfield.

Jota was replaced by Roberto Firmino in the Reds' 2-0 Champions League win at Inter after picking up a knock to his ankle, with the substitute going on to net the opening goal of the contest from Andy Robertson's corner.

Speaking ahead of Liverpool's fixture against Norwich, against whom Liverpool have won 13 of their last 15 Premier League games, Klopp was unsure as to when Jota was likely to return.

"No, he will not be available [for this weekend's clash with Norwich]. But the extent is still not clear," Klopp said.

"We need further assessment, it's something wrong with the ligaments around his ankle.

"Pretty much everything is possible at this moment, that it will go really quickly, or the other way around, unfortunately, so we have to wait.

"Everyone saw the picture of him in the [protective] boot, which is a normal procedure, but for the weekend, for sure no [he will not be fit]."

In the 25-year-old's absence, even greater attacking emphasis will be placed on Mohammed Salah, who netted Liverpool's second goal at San Siro and could register his 150th goal for the Anfield club in his next outing.

Salah has 25 goal involvements in the Premier League this season (16 goals, 9 assists), and Klopp was full of praise for the Egypt international ahead of his potential landmark goal.

"I've only been here seven years, the club is so much older and so many great players were here," Klopp added.

"This [current] team is one of the better ones in the wonderful history of this club, it's clear, and Mo has been a massive part of that, that's also clear.

"The number speaks for itself, it's absolutely insane. It was only recently that we spoke about 100 [goals, which he reached in October 2020 against Everton].

"It’s a massive number and hopefully he can do that tomorrow." 

Salah has scored two goals and three assists in three previous Premier League matches against the Canaries for Liverpool, who are looking to keep pace with Manchester City in the Premier League title race. 

Carlo Ancelotti was unmoved by reports Paris Saint-Germain have offered to make Real Madrid-linked Kylian Mbappe the highest-paid footballer in the world.

Mbappe was in devastating form against Madrid on Wednesday, scoring PSG's late winner in the Champions League last-16 first leg at the Parc des Princes after generally impressing throughout.

The France star's decisiveness was fitting given overarching narrative of his future, which has put the two clubs into something of a tug-of-war over the past couple of years.

Madrid reportedly made several offers for Mbappe last year but were rebuffed by PSG, who were insistent that they would be able to persuade the striker to stay in Paris.

But then came January 1 and Mbappe still had not signed a new contract, meaning he became eligible to begin discussing moves to foreign clubs.

Many expect he will join Madrid at the end of the season, but in the wake of their 1-0 win over Los Blancos, PSG apparently made it known they would be willing to give Mbappe a basic wage "far in excess of £500,000 [€600,000], and closer to £1m [€1.2m] a week", according to the Independent.

Ancelotti is not convinced that matters, however.

"Everyone has to think what they want," Ancelotti told reporters on Friday ahead of the clash with Deportivo Alaves.

"I have to say, they pay me a lot and so I am privileged, but what I like is not the money I earn, but what I do."

Ancelotti acknowledged in the wake of the defeat in Paris that Madrid were poor, as they struggled to get control of the contest and subsequently found themselves under pressure for much of the game.

They failed to get a single shot on target for only the second time in a Champions League game since Opta records began (2003-04), and their 0.14 expected goals (xG) was their worst in the competition in just under nine years.

He was asked again about the performance and he recognised the best thing about the game was that they only lost 1-0.

"Sometimes it's the little details that decide the matches," he said. "I'm quite honest, we played very badly against PSG in what we normally do well. We had a bad night.

"This doesn't worry me so much because I know the quality and personality the team has for getting out of this.

"The criticism is justified because we did badly. The first critic is myself. The approach has not been good and I have to take responsibility.

"Criticism must be understood and learned from because sometimes it is very helpful. The idea that I don't talk to the players is nonsense.

"I spoke with the president and with the director and we have the same feeling. We are hurt but I think we are honest: we played badly and the image of Real Madrid was not good, which is what hurts the most. The best thing about the game was the result."

Tuesday's match was the sixth game in a row in which Vinicius Junior has failed to score after an extremely bright first half to the season, while Madrid as a team have netted just once in four.

Ancelotti is not concerned about there being a specific issue with Vinicius, however.

"Everything that happens to the team is happening to him, we've dropped off a bit," he added. "But the team is doing well physically.

"Against Villarreal we did well sometimes and against PSG we suffered until the end. Vini has had a very intense month and now he's going to be more effective.

"We have to score more, that's clear. But now Karim [Benzema] is back, he's the main striker, who scores a lot of goals and gets a lot of assists.

"When he's well, he's better. We've had problems but he's fine and he's going to help us fix it."

Australia recovered to claim a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Melbourne on Friday as they opened up a 4-0 lead in their five-match T20I series.

The hosts elected to bowl first and, despite being without rested trio Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, restricted their opponents to 139-8 off their 20 overs.

Opener Pathum Nissanka top-scored with 46 off 40 balls, while Kusal Mendis added 27 off 21, but it was another underwhelming batting display from the tourists.

Jhye Richardson impressed with figures of 2-20 off his four overs, paving the way for Australia to make it nine T20Is without defeat against Sri Lanka, winning eight of those.

That is despite getting off to a slow start to their response as openers Ashton Agar and Ben McDermott made 19 off 25 balls, before the latter (nine) fell to Maheesh Theekshana.

Aaron Finch was snared by Danushka Gunathilaka for just two runs off the bowling of Lahiru Kumara and Agar (26) was next to go when he top-edged to Mendis.

But star man Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis all but ensured there would be no joy for Sri Lanka with their fourth-wicket stand of 71 off 47 balls. 

Inglis went for 40 off 20, leaving Australia needing 20 off 22, and Maxwell got them over the line with his unbeaten 48 to set up a potential whitewash in Sunday's fifth match.

MCGlee for Maxwell

Australia have now won five of their last seven T20Is at the MCG, including the last three in a row – their best run since winning four in a row between 2008 and 2011.

Agar's struggles as a makeshift opener will be of concern, but Maxwell's 48 off 39 balls – a strike rate of 123.1 – meant Sri Lanka's modest target was never of concern.

Pathum shows more promise

Nissanka headed into the game as the only player to score above 100 runs this series against Australia (125) and the 23-year-old was again Sri Lanka's shining light in the fourth T20I.

He helped steer his side to 73-1 at the halfway mark alongside Mendis, yet the tourists still managed to squander a promising opportunity.

Manchester United made a mistake by re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo, and would be making another error by keeping him at the club next season, so says Jamie Carragher.

Ronaldo ended a six-game goal drought in United's 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion earlier this week, his worst such run since January 2009, but talk has focused upon whether the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's return to Old Trafford last year has improved the Red Devils.

Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford have both denied reports of a rift in the United dressing room, while there has been speculation that the 37-year-old will leave at the end of the campaign.

Liverpool great and Sky Sports pundit Carragher has now questioned the wisdom of signing Ronaldo, and predicted that keeping him at the club next season could cause more harm than good.

"Cristiano Ronaldo's invaluable contribution to Manchester United's Premier League win over Brighton was another reminder of his unparalleled appetite for goals", Carragher wrote in The Telegraph.

"But it does not change this reality: United made a mistake re-signing Ronaldo last summer. It will be a bigger one keeping him next season.

"Given the cost of signing such a superstar as Ronaldo (an estimated £500,000 a week), it is not a smart investment."

Ronaldo has struck nine Premier League goals from chances equating to 11.3 expected goals (xG) since returning to England, putting him one ahead of compatriot Bruno Fernandes at the top of the club's scoring charts.

His finishing has, therefore, been better than would be expected from the chances that have come his way. For example, his opener against Brighton on Tuesday had an xG of just 0.07, essentially giving Ronaldo just a seven per cent chance of scoring.

But with United drawing successive league games before their win over Brighton, Carragher is unsure whether the forward was ever the right fit for the current needs of the Red Devils, who are without a major trophy since 2017.

"How can I, or anyone, credibly criticise someone who has won five Champions League titles and scored over 800 goals?" Carragher continued.

"But if you sign Ronaldo right now, it is short-term recruitment expected to deliver instant success.

"United are way off the pace domestically, and it would be a major surprise if they win the Champions League. That is why Ralf Rangnick is openly speaking about the need for United to sign another striker before next season."

United are fourth in the Premier League table, but fellow top-four contenders Arsenal, Wolves, and Tottenham all have multiple games in hand, as Rangnick tries to salvage Champions League football from what is quickly becoming another underwhelming campaign.

Lewis Hamilton has denied reports he was considering leaving Formula One, as the seven-time Drivers Champion looks to bounce back from the controversial finale to the 2021 season.

Hamilton was beaten by Red Bull's Max Verstappen in a contentious conclusion to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after race director Michael Masi elected to allow a series of cars to pass a late safety car, permitting one lap of racing with the Dutchman on new tyres.

Masi has since been removed from his role, while rumours abounded that Hamilton could leave the sport. But, speaking at the launch of Mercedes' new W13 car, Hamilton denied that his return was ever in question.

"I never, ever said that I was going to stop", he said. "I love doing what I do, and it is such a privilege working with this large group of people.

"You really feel like you're part of a team and part of a family, working towards that common goal. There's no feeling quite like it.

"But yeah...it was obviously a difficult time for me, and it was a time where I really needed to take a step back and focus on being present."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had previously hinted that Hamilton was left 'disillusioned' by finishing second, but the 37-year-old now claims to be focused on making a successful start to the 2022 season next month.

He also expressed his excitement at working with new teammate George Russell, who has replaced Valtteri Bottas after leaving Williams in the off-season.

"I eventually got to a point where I decided I was going to be attacking, coming into another season working with Toto and George," he added.

"It's exciting seeing George come in and bring his energy. I can already feel that throughout the team. I think it's going to be an exciting season."

The launch of the W13 sees the German constructor return to its classic silver livery after two years using a black colourway, as part of an anti-racism campaign, and the car has been advertised by Mercedes as '98 per cent new' and as 'the product of a complete redesign from top to bottom'.

With the team bidding for a ninth consecutive Constructors' Championship title, Hamilton is keen to ensure standards remain high.

He said: "Naturally, every single individual within this team has worked towards the ultimate goal of winning the world championship, raising the bar and doing something that no one else has done before."

Harry Maguire has denied suggestions that he is embroiled in a power struggle with team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo over who should be Manchester United's captain.

England international Maguire was named United's regular skipper by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after Ashley Young departed for Inter in January 2020.

However, according to a report by The Mirror on Thursday, interim United boss Ralf Rangnick has asked Maguire to consider relinquishing the armband to Ronaldo.

That is said to have made Maguire feel increasingly undermined by Ronaldo, who has had a big influence in the dressing room since returning to the club last year.

But the centre-back, who has struggled for form as of late, has rubbished those claims ahead of United's clash with Leeds United this weekend.

"I've seen a lot of reports about this club that aren't true and this is another," Maguire posted on his official Twitter account.

"Not going to start posting about everything that is written but I needed to make this one clear. We're united and focused on Sunday. Enjoy your day everyone @ManUtd."

Maguire is the second United player to hit out at media reports relating to Ronaldo this week.

On Wednesday, Marcus Rashford denied that United's English played have formed a "clique" in opposition to the Portugal international's dressing room influence.

Ronaldo ended a six-match goalless run by putting United ahead in Tuesday's morale-boosting 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

That came amid speculation that Ronaldo will look to leave Old Trafford at the end of the campaign.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner himself used social media to respond to his critics after the defeat of Brighton, which snapped a three-game winless run for United in all competitions.

"Back on track," Ronaldo posted. "Nobody gives up and there's only one way to get back on track: hard work, team work, serious work. Everything else is just noise."

With his strike against Brighton, Ronaldo has now scored against 168 different opponents for club and country as he scored for the 21st calendar year running.

He found the back of the net from one of a game-high five shots against Brighton, while the three chances he created are the most he has managed in the league this term.

Jason Kidd has run out of ways to describe Luka Doncic who, according to the Dallas Mavericks coach, "just gets better".

Doncic was at the top of his game on Thursday, as he scored 49 points in a 125-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The 22-year-old became the first player in NBA history to score 40+ points, have 15 or more rebounds, provide at least five assists, make five or more threes and have a plus-minus of +20 or better, all in a single game.

Doncic averages 27.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game from 44 appearances this season, leading the Mavs in each of those categories.

"Luka set the tone early and often," Kidd told reporters. "We can sit here and talk about him all day. The things that he does on the court for himself and his team-mates are incredible.

"We've used every noun and adjective to describe his game. He just gets better."

Doncic's points tally was just two shy of the career-high 51 he set against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 10. 

The Slovenian has now had 45 points or higher in three of his last four games, but Doncic was actually underwhelmed by parts of his display.

"I didn't really notice, but my career-high in points [before] was about 44 or 45 points. I definitely felt good for two quarters, but the last quarter was just very bad," he said.

"There were too many bad shots, but we still got a win, so I'm happy."

Team-mate Maxi Kleber, however, did not share Doncic's frustration.

"What he's doing right now is unbelievable," Kleber said. "He's just gifted as a team-mate. It's fun to watch."

It took just two games of the 2021-22 season for Manchester City's failed pursuit of Harry Kane to become a big problem for Pep Guardiola.

After losing the Community Shield to Leicester City, they promptly went to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and lost 1-0 again, even with Kane absent and City boasting Premier League record signing Jack Grealish.

The narrative arc was glaring: City would fall short without a recognised number nine, while Spurs were neither dependent on Kane nor foolhardy to snub the chance of a huge transfer fee. Perhaps he could realise his dream of big trophies in north London after all.

Six months on, and the world has come to its senses. Since losing to Spurs, City have won 20 and lost just one of their Premier League matches and look to be marching imperiously towards the title again. Spurs have changed manager, swapping one the fans never really wanted for one who gives a good impression he would rather be anywhere else, and are enduring a three-game losing run that has put their Champions League hopes in jeopardy.

And nobody is really talking about Kane, except to wonder what's going wrong.

It's beginning to look like City dodged a nine-figure bullet by not pursuing their interest. Kane has just five goals and two assists in 21 league games this season, his minutes-per-goal rate of 358.4 more than twice as bad as at any other time in his career, while his expected goals tally of 8.99 is the lowest since he played just 10 times in 2013-14.

Part of that problem can be attributed to Kane's role under Nuno Espirito Santo and now Antonio Conte. His link-up play is still effective: he is creating on average one chance per 90 minutes, slightly down on his career average in the Premier League, but averaging more passes played into the box (3.1) than he ever has.

Similarly, he is top among Spurs players for involvements in open-play sequences ending in a shot (98) – even when you remove the 52 where Kane's only contribution was the shot, he still ranks as high as fifth (46). In other words, he remains key to both getting them on the front foot and testing the opposition's goalkeeper.

Yet ultimately, Kane will be judged on goal involvements, which makes this season a distinct disappointment. Whether he was affected by City's failed pursuit, or a hangover from England's Euro 2020 final defeat – or a combination of both – it's hard to make a case for this Kane to be the missing link for Guardiola's City. And that's especially true when you consider just what Guardiola wants in his forwards: the ability to play in any position across the attack, rather than become pinioned in the number-nine role. It's why he saw fit to spend £100million on Grealish, why Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski and Sergio Aguero have each faced battles to keep their places in his teams, and why any move for Erling Haaland is no guarantee.

It also makes you wonder why City did not turn their attentions to the man who scored the winner in that game at Spurs last August, and who has six goals in eight matches against them.

Son Heung-min would appear, on the face of it, an ideal Guardiola player. He has proved himself adept out wide, as a number 10 and as a central striker for Spurs, hitting double figures for goals and assists for two league seasons running – don't rule out him repeating the feat again.

With nine goals and three assists, Son leads the way for direct goal involvements for Spurs in this season's difficult Premier League campaign. He has also created the most chances (36), playing 144 passes into the box, which is almost double the number of any team-mate (this includes set-pieces, of course). Son also boasts the best shot conversion rate (18.8) among players with more than one goal, while Kane's is down at just seven per cent.

The South Korea star is second only to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg when it comes to involvements in Spurs' build-up play in the top flight this season, 35 of which have ended in a shot on goal. And when he doesn't have the ball, Son remains adept at winning it back: he has won possession the most among Spurs attackers (89), with 11 of those gains occurring in the opposition's defensive third.

Adaptable, hard-working and clinical are words that could be ascribed to any of City's forwards, and Son fits right in that same group. Should Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League again, they may be forced to make some concessions in the transfer market, especially if they want to satisfy Conte's demands while keeping costs down. Son has just over three years on his contract and does not appear likely to agitate for a move, but, ahead of his 30th birthday in July, the next window could represent his final opportunity for a major transfer.

If anyone in a Spurs shirt is likely to impress City officials on Saturday, it's Son.

China's "snow princess" Eileen Gu says her life has changed forever after her historic success at the Winter Olympics.

Gu made history on Friday in Beijing, becoming the youngest athlete to win three individual medals at the Winter Games.

The 18-year-old from California, who elected to represent China rather than the United States at the Games, won gold in the halfpipe final, building on her triumph in the big air and her second-place finish in the slopestyle event.

She is also the youngest medallist in women's freeski halfpipe, and the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Winter Games.

Indeed, Gu is the first reigning world champion to win the event, and along with American David Wise, she is the only other freestyle skier to win the crystal globe, X Games, world championships and an Olympic gold medal in a single event.

"It has been two straight weeks of the most intense highs and lows I've ever experienced in my life," said Gu, who is also a model.

"It has changed my life forever. The second I landed the last 16 in big air I knew my life was never going to be the same again.

"Even then I would have never imagined that I'd walk away with another silver and another gold.

"I'm so honoured to be here and I'm even more honoured by this platform that I've been given to be able to spread this message and inspire young girls through my own passion for the sport and to hopefully spread the sport to people that might not have heard of it before."

Having already sealed her success heading into her third and final lap, Gu was able to entertain the crowd on her last run.

"I've never taken a victory lap before. I'm always saying, 'I want to push harder, I want to show that I can do more'," she added.

"And today, it kind of just felt like this coming-together moment because it's my last event at the Olympics.

"I put so much work into this, and to just feel like it was all worth it – all those little moments, the time I put in, in the gym after shooting a fashion editorial for eight to 10 hours, when I ran a half marathon every week over the summer, when I pushed myself to be the first person in practice and the last person to leave.

"Just all those little moments I feel like added up and it was just this great realisation that it was all worth it and that it was all real.

"I was very emotional at the top and I chose to do a victory lap because I felt like for the first time I really deserved it, and I really earned it."