Topics: United States, Olympics
Eileen Gu's response to US vice-president JD Vance speaks volumes after he criticised her for representing China over the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Gu, 22, won the gold medal in the women's halfpipe freestyle ski final in Vatellina, landing a score of 94.75 points with her third and final run.
Her second run, which scored 94.00 points, would have also been enough to win the event ahead of China team-mate Li Fanghui and Team GB's Zoe Atkin.
She also won silver medals in the women's big air and slopestyle events, and is now the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history.
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Gu was born in California to a Chinese mother and an American father, and represented the United States at junior levels and in the 2018/19 Freestyle Ski World Cup.
In 2019, however, she decided to formally request a change of nationality to China ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, which were to be held in Beijing.
She said at the time: "The opportunity to inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love.
"Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations. If I can help to inspire a young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true."
Gu, who is an undergraduate in international relations at Stanford University, has soared in popularity in recent years.
She is now not only one of the most well-known female athletes on the planet, but also one of the highest-earning.
As per The Athletic, the 22-year-old earns $23.1 million per year from various brand and sponsorship deals, endorsements and modelling contracts. It is reported that only $100,000 of that amount is made up of her skiing earnings.
Prior to the Olympics, she had 2.1 million followers on Instagram - a figure which has now almost doubled to 4.1 million.
In an interview after qualifying for the Olympic halfpipe final last Thursday, Gu suggested: "if I wasn't doing well, I think they probably wouldn't care as much."
That comment related to the criticism she has received from sections of the media - and from some high-profile figures - back in the United States over her decision to represent China seven years ago.
During an appearance on Fox News while the Games were ongoing, US vice-president Vance was asked about Gu's decision to switch to China amid political tensions between the two countries, and whether her 'status should be changed'.
"Look, I've no idea what her 'status' should be," he replied. "I think that's ultimately up to the Olympics committee. I won't pretend to wade into that.
"I certainly think that somebody who grew up in the United States of America, who benefitted from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place... I would hope that they would want to compete with the United States of America.
"So I'm going to root for American athletes, and I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That is who I'm rooting for at this Olympics."
When asked about Vance's comments, Gu replied (via Fortune): "I'm flattered. Thanks, JD! That's sweet.
"So many athletes compete for a different country. People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it's not really about what they think it's about.
"And also, because I win. Like if I wasn't doing well, I think that they probably wouldn't care as much, and that's OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions."
