ZHANGJIAKOU, China – Chances are most don’t know who Eileen Gu is yet. By the end of these Olympics, though, they likely will.
The Chinese-American …
ZHANGJIAKOU, China – Chances are most don’t know who Eileen Gu is yet. By the end of these Olympics, though, they likely will. The Chinese-American freeskier is poised to become one of the biggest stars of the Beijing Olympics, a threat to win three gold medals and solidify her already noteworthy fame here. At 18, the San Francisco native straddles a growing political divide between the country she grew up in and her mother’s native country, which she has represented since 2019. A budding model and a soon-to-be Stanford undergrad, Gu finds herself not only exceedingly busy but a rare athlete with reach outside her sport. Here’s what you need to know about Gu: Gu has a legitimate chance to finish these Olympics with three gold medals. She made X Games history last year, winning gold in halfpipe and slopestyle and bronze in big air.
