He is 22 years old and studies quantum physics at Stanford. She’s a model and one of the highest-earning female athletes…
He is 22 years old and studies quantum physics at Stanford. She is a model and one of the highest-earning female athletes in the world, with a net income of over $23 million last year.
Moreover, he has just won two more Olympic medals in Milan. However, freestyle skier Eileen Gu has faced more criticism than ever for her decision to compete for China instead of the United States, where she was born and raised.
This is not new territory for Gu, one of the most recognized names in his sport. The San Francisco native has been surrounded by controversy for years, with global criticism and media coverage reaching a fever pitch during her debut at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
At the time, she tried to remain as neutral as possible and emphasized her ties to both countries as the daughter of a Chinese mother and American father.
However, this time it is different.
The rhetoric against him has been especially amplified by right-wing platforms, which feed off the fervent “America First” nationalism fueled by the Trump administration and the US president’s MAGA base.
Gu is no longer the 18-year-old who became the youngest Olympic freestyle ski champion in history in Beijing. She is older, more lucrative, more powerful and, above all, more willing to report the abuses she has suffered.
“I’ve been through a lot in the last four years and more,” he declared at a press conference on February 9, after winning silver in the slopestyle aerobatic ski competition.
“I’ve experienced things at 22 that I don’t think anyone should ever have to deal with, whether it’s threats, criticism, online hate, physical attacks… you name it, the list goes on,” she added.
“But I’m getting stronger, right? That’s the beauty of being young. You adapt, you learn, and you get stronger and better.”
Many dual-citizen American athletes have chosen to represent other countries for a variety of reasons, whether personal, emotional, financial or access to greater opportunities.
But few have received as much attention – or commentary – as Gu at a time when the United States and China are locked in an increasingly intense geopolitical rivalry.
Gu first announced he would be switching to compete for China in 2015, writing at the time that it was an “incredibly difficult decision.” She added that she was “proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringing.”
But that decision upset many. Critics pointed to China’s numerous alleged human rights abuses, including the suppression of Uyghur Muslims in China’s western Xinjiang region, something Gu has not publicly discussed. Others argued that he benefited from American education, training facilities and coaches, but gave nothing back to his native country.
That debate resurfaced during the Winter Olympics, especially on popular conservative podcasts and media outlets. Even some Republican politicians, such as Florida Sen. Rick Scott and Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, have spoken out, accusing Gu of supporting U.S. adversaries.
Another similar figure is former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, a longtime critic of the Chinese Communist Party, who called Gu a “traitor” in a post on X on Tuesday.
“He was born in the United States, grew up in the United States, lives in the United States and chose to fight his own country for the world’s biggest human rights violator, China,” Freedom wrote, accusing Gu of “disappearing” whenever the subject of human rights comes up.
In an interview with Fox News, US Vice President JD Vance was asked to comment directly on whether he considered Gu a “traitor” for choosing to represent China and not speak openly about human rights.
Vance’s response was measured: He said he had “no idea” what Gu’s status “should be,” though he did say he hoped athletes who had grown up in the United States and benefited from its systems would want to compete for the country.
Still, the fact that the question was asked shows the widespread impact the issue has gained, especially among conservatives.
Some have compared her to other Asian-American athletes, such as Alysa Liu, the figure skating superstar returning to the Olympics after early retirement, and snowboarder Chloe Kim, a two-time Olympic women’s halfpipe champion.
Like Gu, both Liu and Kim were born in California to immigrant parents. However, Liu and Kim are competing for America, a fact that many social media users have pointed out and hold them up as examples of what they believe a second-generation American should be.
“Chloe Kim is not a traitor,” reads a comment under a TikTok video about Gu.
Liu’s personal story also stands in stark contrast to Gu’s, which has been echoed by some commentators on social media.
They both grew up in the Bay Area. But while Gu came from a wealthy family that spent time in both the United States and China, Liu’s father fled China after helping lead the Tiananmen Square democracy protests, which the Chinese Communist Party brutally suppressed.
But Gu also has a large following, who have been more outspoken this year, many of whom are defending his decisions.
“China pays a lot of money for top talent. Yes, he is American and he is competing for China against us. But wouldn’t you do the same?” read another TikTok response. Some pointed out that Gu is part Chinese: why shouldn’t he compete for China?
Others joked that if given the chance, they too would prefer a salary to representing the United States, given the country’s many social problems and controversial policies, which reflect a widespread sense of disillusionment.
“The US treats immigrants the way they do and then gets angry because they didn’t choose them,” read another comment.
While Gu has never strayed from her core message – the pride of being Chinese and American – she has also become much more assertive in speaking openly about what she has endured in the public eye.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m carrying the weight of two countries on my shoulders,” he said after competing last week.
And during her speech before the Games, she told the Associated Press that she is facing criticism from all sides, from those who “thought she wasn’t Chinese enough” when she dyed her hair blonde to those who opposed her decision to represent China.
Some of that pressure has also turned into real danger.
While on the campus of Stanford University, which she entered in 2022, she was “physically attacked in the street,” received death threats and was robbed in her dorm room, she told The Athletic.
Part of his newfound candor may be that he is at the top of his game and has nothing left to prove.
“I’ve been through some hard times. I went to university, I matured a little bit and now I feel a lot lighter,” she told Reuters before the Games.
“I’ve won more World Cups than any freestyle skier, male or female. I’m currently tied for the most Olympic medals… I used to think I did what I knew how to do; now I do what I want to do.”
But it could also have something to do with the skyrocketing of his fame and success over the past four years, along with his income.
Gu was the fourth highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2025; But compared to other athletes, her income comes much more from her endorsements than from her earnings on the field, according to Forbes.
It has a long list of collaborations including Red Bull, Porsche, IWC Schaffhausen and more. In addition to skiing, she also models and works with IMG Models, the world’s largest agency, which describes her as “a natural addition to high-end brands, including Louis Vuitton.”
His command of Mandarin also gives him access to a huge market in China, where his likeness appears on billboards and television screens. She is loved nationally and known as the “Snow Princess,” in stark contrast to the divided reception she receives in the United States.
In China, fans have no problem with their dual identity; They’re even celebrating her two silver medals this week and defending her from criticism for not winning gold. That unconditional support takes on particular importance in a hyper-competitive country that often rewards only the best winners and punishes those who fall short.
“True champions are not only defined by gold medals; Eileen will always deserve the applause,” said a user on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV Sports Channel called Gu the “pride of China” after he claimed his second silver medal on Tuesday.
In an interview with Chinese state media after the competition, Gu said she hoped to inspire other Chinese girls on the slopes. And because she spoke in her mother’s native language, she was even more candid about what she’s been through and what she hopes to protect others from.
“It hasn’t gotten any easier, I’ve just gotten stronger and can be more resilient,” he said with a sad smile. “I want to protect others and hope they don’t have to deal with attacks or cyberbullying like I did.”
The CNN Wire
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