LIVIGNO, Italy -- Star freeskier Gu Ailing said the Olympic spirit should not be overshadowed by political issues after US President Donald Trump branded American skier Hunter Hess a "real loser", drawing attention away from competition at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Gu made the remarks after winning the silver medal in the women's slopestyle final on Monday. During the mixed zone interviews and later at a post-event press conference, she was asked about comments made by Trump targeting Hess.

"I'm sorry that the headline that is eclipsing the Olympics has to be something so unrelated to the spirit of the Games," Gu said. "It really runs contrary to everything that the Olympics should be."

The controversy began on Friday, when Hess was asked what it meant to represent the US in the current climate domestically and internationally at a press conference. Hess said representing his country "brings up mixed emotions." "If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I'm representing it. But just because I'm wearing the flag doesn't mean that I represent everything that's going on in the US," he added.

Trump criticized Hess on his Truth Social account later, calling the athlete "a real Loser" and saying he would be hard-pressed to root for him at the Olympic Games.

Trump's remarks quickly reverberated through the Olympic village in Livigno, where athletes from around the world were preparing for competition. Several athletes were later asked for their reactions, raising concerns that the dispute could distract from the sporting events.

Gu said it was unfortunate that political rhetoric had entered what she views as one of the few remaining global platforms centered on shared human experience.

"The whole point of sport is to bring people together, and it's one of the very few remaining common languages - that of the human body, that of the human spirit, that of the competitive spirit, the capacity to break not only records, but especially in our sport, literally the human limit."

"And so to have such divisive headlines trying to make their way into what is, in my head, a very sacred space - this is like one of the very few remaining safe spaces where people can communicate and share culture and be fully themselves."

Gu described the situation facing Hess as "an unwinnable press war," expressing sympathy for athletes who find themselves drawn into public disputes beyond sport.

Competing at her second Olympic Games, Gu is regarded as one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of women's freestyle skiing.