Eileen Gu, a freestyle skier known for her unique nickname during the 2022 Olympics, has recently received another significant recognition by gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit this year.
Originally from the US, Gu decided to represent the Chinese Olympic team and made history by becoming the youngest freestyle ski champion at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. She also earned impressive annual earnings of $22.1 million, ranking as the second-highest female athlete.
This year, she continues to receive accolades with the release of her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photo shoot.
“Freeskiing is dominated by men, and I think I was around 14 or 15 when I had my first female teammate. I definitely felt a bit out of place,” Gu shared in her feature for Sports Illustrated.
During the 2022 Olympics, Gu captured gold in Big Air and silver in both half-pipe and slope style events. Now, she is gearing up to compete with Team China again at the upcoming 2026 games.
Her choice to compete for China in 2022 raised eyebrows, especially considering her avoidance of discussing the country’s human rights issues, which led to her being dubbed “Genocide Barbie.”
Even comedian Bill Maher has criticized Gu for choosing to represent a nation often associated with human rights violations, questioning the implications of her decision.
“Is it cool now to represent a totalitarian state?” he remarked regarding Gu’s choice.
Despite the backlash, Gu has embraced her association with China’s regimes, appearing on social media to support and rationalize some of the country’s censorship policies, even mistakenly asserting that Chinese people have internet freedom.
