Who is Eileen Gu? China’s free ski superstar is one of richest female athletes

Model. Student. Gold medalist.

Women’s free ski superstar Eileen Gu is on the record saying she wants to do it all, and at 22 years old, she has.

Gu, born in the United States but a competitor for China, where her mother Yan – who raised her – is from, studies at Stanford in non-Olympic years. She is also a three-time Olympic medalist, with gold medals in the big air and halfpipe events and a silver medal in slopestyle.

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Eileen Gu at 2026 Olympics

Gu’s success at the Beijing Games made her one of the most recognizable athletes in China, where she can’t go anywhere without being mobbed by the public.

As Gu continues to sidestep citizenship questions, she enters these Games with three Olympic medals from Beijing 2022 (big air gold, halfpipe gold, slopestyle silver), when she was 18. She became the most successful women’s free skier ever this year, with 20 victories on the World Cup circuit. She also won at the inaugural Snow League event in China in December.

How much does Eileen Gu make?

According to Sportico, Gu is the highest-paid Winter Olympics athlete and made $23 million in 2025, putting her fourth on the earnings list among female athletes. The first three are tennis players.

Why does Eileen Gu compete for China?

Gu, whose father is American, spent her summers in Beijing and chose to compete for China in 2019. Gu will be a junior at Stanford when she returns to college and studies international relations.

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She refuses to comment on her citizenship status, although she competes for China, which does not allow dual citizenship with another country. Born in the States, Gu would have had to renounce her American status, unless China is making an exception. (The Chinese Olympic governing body has also refused to comment on Gu’s eligibility but is happy to have her medals count for the team.)

Does Eileen Gu model?

Gu is also involved in the fashion industry, with modeling credits for Victoria’s Secret and Louis Vuitton. According to Time Magazine, she opened and closed the Bosideng show in Milan, closed the Brunello Cucinelli show in Shanghai and posed for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Her sponsors include brands such as Red Bull, Tiffany, and Porsche, and Chinese companies Anta Sports, Mengniu Dairy, and Luckin Coffe.

Her connection to the fashion industry, passion for food and the skiing make it an ideal location for Gu.

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“I love Milan,” she told Olympics.com. “Obviously, we have fashion weeks here. One particularly special experience was a show I opened and closed a couple of Milan fashion weeks ago, which took place where (Leonardo da Vinci’s) ‘The Last Supper’ was painted. It was this gorgeous, picturesque vineyard with a beautiful villa.”

What makes Eileen Gu so good?

Gu landed a double cork 1620 to delight the home crowd in China four years ago to claim her big air gold. No woman has ever won more World Cups than her (20) and she also won the inaugural Snow League competition (started by Shaun White) at Secret Garden in December.

She told Olympics.com she was entering the 2026 Milano Cortina Games with “no chip on my shoulder.”

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“There’s no burden,” she told Olympics.com. “There is nothing to defend, no defending gold medalist. I’m here to compete just like everyone else, do my very best, and we’ll see what happens.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Eileen Gu? Meet China’s free ski superstar in 2026 Olympics