Eileen Gu
Eileen Gu
Full name: Eileen Feng Gu
Born/Date of Birthday: September 3, 2003
Place of Birth: San Francisco, CA, USA
Height: 1.75 m
Parents: Yan Gu
Education: San Francisco University High School
Sport
Country: China
Sport: Freestyle skiing
Event(s): Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Big air
Club: Beijing Nanshan Ski Resort (since 2013)
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Beijing Big air
Gold medal – first place 2022 Beijing Halfpipe
Silver medal – second place 2022 Beijing Slopestyle
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Aspen Halfpipe
Gold medal – first place 2021 Aspen Slopestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Aspen Big air
Winter X Games
Gold medal – first place 2021 Aspen Superpipe
Gold medal – first place 2021 Aspen Slopestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Aspen Big air
Winter Youth Olympics
Gold medal – first place 2020 Lausanne Big air
Gold medal – first place 2020 Lausanne Halfpipe
Silver medal – second place 2020 Lausanne Slopestyle
Eileen Gu (born September 3, 2003), also known by her Chinese name Gu Ailing, is a freestyle skier, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and model. She has competed for China in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events since 2019. Gu competed for the United States at the 2018–19 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup.
At age 18, Gu became the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing after winning gold medals in big air and halfpipe, and a silver medal in slopestyle, at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. She is the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a Winter Olympics.
Early life and education
Gu was born on September 3, 2003, in San Francisco, California, United States, to a Chinese-American mother, Yan Gu (Chinese: 谷燕; pinyin: Gǔ Yàn), and a white American father. Yan raised Gu as a single parent. Her mother attended Peking University for her undergraduate and master's degrees in chemical engineering. Yan was a student athlete on the Peking University Women's Speed Skating team, and a skiing instructor. Yan moved from China to the U.S. as a student in her twenties, enrolling at Auburn University and Rockefeller University. While attending the latter, Yan skied at Hunter Mountain in New York state; her passion for the sport deepened after she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, while she was earning an MBA at Stanford University.
When Gu was young, Yan enrolled her daughter in ski lessons at Lake Tahoe, reportedly so that her daughter could keep up with her. Her mother, as Gu put it, "accidentally created a pro skier." Gu was raised by her mother and grandmother, and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and English.
On March 1, 2021, Gu wrote on her personal Sina Weibo page that she had been recognized as a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program as a January 2021 nominee from San Francisco University High School. She was not awarded the scholarship, and graduated early from secondary school. In February 2022, The Washington Post reported that Gu was admitted to Stanford University, an alma mater of her mother, and will begin studies after the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Nationality
Born in the United States to an American father and first-generation immigrant mother from China, Gu has competed for China since June 2019 after requesting a change of nation with the International Ski Federation. Her goal was to compete for China in the 2022 Winter Olympics. In announcing the change, she said that through skiing she hopes "to help inspire millions of young people" in China and "to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations."
Gu has declined to disclose her citizenship. China does not recognize dual citizenship and the Chinese Consulate General in New York told the BBC that Gu would have to have been naturalized or gained permanent residency status in China to compete for its team. In interviews, Gu commented: "Nobody can deny I'm American, nobody can deny I'm Chinese." She also said: "When I'm in the U.S., I'm American, but when I'm in China, I'm Chinese."
Career
In 2021, Gu became the first woman to land a forward double cork 1440.
X Games
At the 2021 Winter X Games, Gu won a bronze medal in Big Air and two gold medals in SuperPipe and Slopestyle, becoming the first rookie to win a gold medal in Women's Ski SuperPipe, the first rookie to medal in three events, and the first athlete representing China to win a gold medal at the X Games.
World Championships
Gu competed at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2021, winning two gold medals in Freeski Halfpipe and Freeski Slopestyle. Gu became the first freeskier to win two golds at the FIS Freeski World Championship. She also won a bronze medal in Freeski Big Air. She was also injured at the event with a broken hand.
2022 Beijing Olympics
At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Gu became the youngest gold medalist in freestyle skiing, winning the big air event. Gu landed her first attempt at a double cork 1620, which she had never tried in competition. She was the second woman to land the trick and the first woman to land a left-turn 1620;[non-primary source needed] Tess Ledeux first successfully completed a double cork 1620 on 21 January 2022 at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado and landed it again in her first run of the big air final at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Gu won the silver medal in the slopestyle event. She won a second gold medal in the women's freeski halfpipe competition with a score of 95.25, becoming the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a Winter Olympics.
Modeling and advertising
Gu is also a model and is represented by IMG Models. She has appeared on multiple magazine covers, including the Chinese editions of Elle, GQ, Marie Claire, and Vogue. As of February 2022, Gu had been featured in campaigns for Fendi, Gucci, IWC Schaffhausen, Tiffany & Co., and Louis Vuitton.
Gu's status as a leading sports star in China is reported to have earned her over US$30 million in endorsements and advertising contracts.
Personal life
Gu was raised by her mother and maternal grandparents, and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and English. She plays the piano as a hobby.
Views
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Gu has spoken out against anti-Asian racism after the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings and the killing of Vicha Ratanapakdee. She has described her own experience with anti-Asian racism, having endured a man screaming obscenities about "Asians infecting America" with COVID-19 at her and her grandmother in a shop. Gu also supports the Black Lives Matter movement. However, Gu has largely declined to comment on political topics involving China, notably on the country's human rights record. Gu's agent Tom Yaps elaborated on this to The Economist stating that Gu's mother, Yan Gu, feared that "if [Eileen] participates in an article that has two paragraphs critical of China and human rights, that would put her in jeopardy over there. One thing and a career is ruined."
