Two-time Olympic champion Eileen Gu has opened up about the reasoning behind her contentious decision to represent China instead of the United States in international skiing competitions. The freestyle skiing sensation, who was born in California, will once again compete under the Chinese flag at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
A Decision That Sparked Debate
The 22-year-old athlete faced significant criticism in 2022 when she chose to ski for China rather than the United States ahead of the Beijing Games. Gu, who has an American father and a Chinese mother, went on to achieve remarkable success at those Games, securing gold medals in both the women's freeski big air and the freeski halfpipe events, along with a silver medal in the freeski slopestyle.
Inspiring a New Generation
Now, four years later, Gu has explained that her primary motivation was to inspire more young people—particularly girls—to take up freestyle skiing in China, where the sport was not traditionally popular. In an interview with Time Magazine, she stated: 'The US already has the representation. I like building my own pond.'
According to the publication, Gu firmly denies that financial incentives from representing Chinese companies played any role in her decision. 'I’m glad that there’s enough money in the sport now for people to think that’s a consideration,' the Olympic champion remarked.
Navigating Citizenship Questions
Gu grew up in San Francisco but has spent considerable time in China, estimating before the last Olympics that at least a quarter of her life had been in the Far East. Despite this, her choice has not been without controversy. Following her victories in Beijing, she faced persistent questions about her citizenship status.
China does not permit dual citizenship, and state media previously reported that Gu renounced her US citizenship after becoming a Chinese national at age 15. However, when pressed on whether she had indeed given up her US citizenship four years ago, Gu avoided direct answers and told TIME: 'I don’t really see how that’s relevant.'
Looking Ahead to Milan Cortina
Gu is widely expected to add to her Olympic medal collection at the Milan Cortina Games. Recently, she demonstrated her resilience by shaking off a crash to celebrate her second consecutive slopestyle title at the Laax Open. She had already secured victory when she fell hard on her right side, with one ski and her poles flying off.
Notably, slopestyle is the only event where Gu did not win gold at the Beijing Games four years ago. She now heads to Milan Cortina as the favourite to claim that title and further expand her impressive Olympic achievements.
