“The ‘2 medals lost’ scenario, to be rather frank with you, is type of a ludicrous viewpoint to take.”
That was the mic-drop minute listened to worldwide, when 22 -year-old freestyle skier Eileen Gu reacted to AFP reporter John Weaver’s question about whether she saw her recent Olympic performance as “2 silvers gained or more golds lost”.
The Olympian has actually since gone viral for her clapback.
“I’m the most enhanced female freeskier in history,” Gu chuckled. “I believe that’s a response in and of itself.”
“Just how do I claim this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for each athlete. Doing it five times is tremendously harder because every medal is equally difficult for me– yet everybody else’s expectations increase.”
However this isn’t the first time Eileen Gu has made shockwaves throughout the net, including with her questionable choice to represent China over the United States. So that is she outside the showing off world?
1 She started skiing at the age of three
Eileen Gu Ailing was born upon September 3, 2003, in San Francisco, The Golden State She was increased by her single mom, Gu Yan, a Shanghai-born, first-generation Chinese immigrant to the USA. Not much is publicly found out about her daddy, apart from that he is American.
Eileen began winter sports at the age of 3 in Lake Tahoe, where her mom when worked as a part-time ski trainer. She later on signed up with the Northstar California Hotel freeski team at 8 and won her initial national championship at nine. She has actually since gone on to come to be the youngest-ever Olympic freestyle skiing champ at the 2022 Winter Months Olympics in Beijing.
2 She stands for China as an athlete
Although Eileen was born and raised in San Francisco to an American papa, she selected to contend for China– her mother’s homeland. The choice triggered widespread debate when she announced it in June 2019, having actually previously stood for the United States.
It has actually been declared that her mother, whose parents were former government engineers in Shanghai, scheduled Eileen to participate in an uncommon meeting of winter season sports professional athletes with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019
Since then, Gu has been repetitively examined concerning her citizenship and her choice to represent China.
In a 2021 interview with ESPN, Gu claimed that although she grew up in America, she determines as both American and Chinese. She likewise shared that she invests 25 to 30 percent of every year in China and is well-versed in both English and Mandarin chinese.
“Because I was little, I have actually always claimed when I remain in the U.S., I’m American, however when I’m in China, I’m Chinese,” Gu told ESPN.com in 2020 “I maintain it by having pals and having the ability to interact with people because that’s the best method to transmit culture.”
3 She’s presently researching at Stanford University
In December 2020, she made very early admission to Stanford College– her mother’s alma mater– and got in the fresher class in 2022, learning International Relations.
Nonetheless, this also has been bogged down in conflict. In a recent interview with The Athletic , the celebrity athlete declared she was “physically assaulted on the street” while on campus at Stanford and needed to call the cops. She associated the occurrence to reaction over her choice to stand for China at the Olympics.
“I have actually had fatality risks,” she included. “I have actually had my dormitory burglarized. I’ve gone through some things as a 22 -year-old that I really believe nobody needs to ever need to endure, ever.”
She took time off throughout the 2025– 26 academic year to plan for the 2026 Winter months Olympics.
4 She’s the most decorated women freeskier in history
Dubbed the “Snow Princess” by her Chinese fans, at simply 22 years old, Eileen’s current statement that she is “one of the most enhanced female freeskier in background” isn’t ridiculous– it’s a fact.
She ended up being the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle winter sports after winning gold medals in large air and halfpipe, along with a silver medal in slopestyle, at her Wintertime Olympics debut in Beijing in 2022 In doing so, she became the initial freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Winter months Olympics.
Ahead of the 2026 video games, she showed to Reuters, “I have actually won much more Globe Mugs than any freeskier ever before, man or female. I am presently connected for many Olympic medals … Before, I believe, I was doing what I understood how to do; currently I’m doing what I want to do.”
She has because gone on to win two more silver medals at the 2026 Winter Season Olympics in Milan, bringing her total Olympic medal tally to five.
Beyond the Olympics, she has also contended in the Winter months X Games and the FIS Freestyle Globe Ski Championships.
Time named Eileen one of the 100 most prominent people on the planet in both 2022 and she most lately fronted their cover in Feb 2026
5 She’s among the top five highest-paid women professional athletes in the world
Because her Olympic success, Eileen’s profits have actually seen a speedy surge. In 2025, she was rated the 4th highest-paid female professional athlete worldwide, with reported incomes of approximately US$ 23 million.
According to Forbes , just concerning US$ 100, 000 of that total amount originates from competition winnings. The mass of her revenue is driven by recommendations, many thanks to partnerships with deluxe and worldwide brands consisting of Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Red Bull, Porsche, IWC Schaffhausen and more.
Her fluency in Mandarin and choice to represent China have actually likewise offered her substantial access to the Chinese market. She has protected ambassadorships with major Chinese brands such as Mengniu Milk, Luckin Coffee, JD.com, China Mobile, People’s Insurance provider of China, Financial institution of China, Anta Sports and Bosideng.
6 She’s currently authorized to IMG Models
Eileen’s close connections to deluxe style are likewise reinforced by her representation by IMG Models in the United States. Her model-like looks have made her a natural suitable for haute couture homes– she has served as a Louis Vuitton ambassador and strolled the runway at the brand name’s Spring/Summer 2023 show. She is also a starting participant of Victoria’s Key’s VS Collective.
Beyond brand name campaigns, she routinely appears on the covers of leading global fashion magazines, including Vogue , L’Officiel , InStyle , Harper’s Marketplace , T Magazine and Paradise
7 She has actually been rumoured to be dating Chinese crypto billionaire Justin Sun
While there is no publicly offered details concerning Eileen’s personal life, supposition appeared on February 1, 2026, when a female publishing on X under her real name, Zeng Ying, and the handle “Ten Ten”, made insurance claims that she had actually formerly dated Chinese-born Kittitian crypto billionaire and businessman Justin Sun In a series of messages, she charged him of financial criminal activities, abuse and various other serious misconduct.
She also affirmed that he had actually boasted concerning dating a well-known athlete, motivating on the internet conjecture that she might have been describing Eileen Gu. Neither Eileen Gu neither Justin Sunlight has actually openly verified any type of charming connection. Eileen has likewise not been openly asked to comment on the accusations to date.
