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Freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu once again finds herself at the center of geopolitical debate as she competes in the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. On this occasion, the 22-year-old athlete chose to respond directly to comments from United States Vice President JD Vance, who questioned her decision to represent China instead of her country of birth.
Vance recently expressed his desire for athletes trained on U.S. soil to show greater interest in "competing for the United States." In response, Gu not only downplayed the official's remarks with a sarcastic "I'm flattered. Thanks, JD! How sweet," but also elaborated on what she considers a double standard rooted in political prejudice.
"The problem is with China, not with sport"
For the Olympic multi-medalist, the criticism of her sporting loyalty is tinged with anti-China sentiment rather than genuine concern about representation rules. "Many athletes compete for a different country," Gu emphasized. "People only have a problem with me because they group China as a monolithic entity and simply hate China. So it's not really about what they think it's about."
Gu, who was born in California and is a student at Stanford University, admitted that she sometimes feels like a "punching bag for a sector of American politics."
Cultural identity and a $23 million empire
Eileen Gu's decision to represent China since June 2019 has deep roots in her family heritage. Although her father is American, her mother, Gu Yan, is a first-generation immigrant born in China. Since childhood, Eileen has navigated between both worlds.
However, this cultural connection has also proven to be an unprecedented financial engine. Gu has established herself as one of the highest-paid athletes on the planet, with estimated earnings of $23 million last year. Surprisingly, just over $100,000 comes directly from skiing prize money; the rest is the result of her status as a global icon.
Her dual identity allows her to dominate markets in both hemispheres. In addition to modeling for luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Victoria's Secret, she holds massive endorsement deals with giants like Porsche, Red Bull, and IWC. Nevertheless, this financial success also draws scrutiny; recently, documents from the Beijing government revealed a $6.6 million investment specifically allocated to her training.