Eileen Gu, the American-born Olympic skier who decided to represent China in the Winter Olympics, has been in the limelight, especially after receiving ESPN’s 2022 “Breakout Athlete of the Year” award.
At just 15, Gu, who hails from California, made the announcement that she would begin training for the Olympics with China, the homeland of her mother. By 2022, she had developed her skills sufficiently to join Team China officially.
That same year, ESPN celebrated Gu’s achievements, despite her decision to compete for China, a country often viewed as an adversary to the U.S.
Interestingly, Gu’s choice to represent China is seen as more than just a familial connection. The Chinese government provided significant financial backing and numerous sponsorship deals in exchange for her allegiance, which involved publicly distancing herself from the United States.
According to a report from Wall Street Journal, records indicated that “the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau was set to allocate $6.6 million to Gu and American-born figure skater Zhu Yi.”
However, after this information surfaced, Chinese officials quickly took steps to erase the records.
Consequently, Gu has risen to become one of the highest-paid female athletes globally.
She has justified her decision by noting that there aren’t many young women in China interested in skiing, stating that the U.S. already has ample representation and that she hopes to inspire other girls in China to take up the sport.
While she shies away from criticizing China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority, she does have strong opinions on the United States.
Gu expressed her discontent with former President Donald Trump’s remarks regarding Team USA skier Hunter Hess, who mentioned that it was “a little difficult” to wear his USA gear amidst various issues in the country.
After Trump referred to Hess as a “real loser,” Gu felt his remarks were out of line with the spirit of sportsmanship.
Recently, she has also claimed she was a victim of “assault,” “robbery,” and “hate” during her time at Stanford University, a story she hadn’t shared publicly before. Some media outlets attempted to verify these claims, but no substantial evidence has been found to back them.
