Sawt Falasteen - Eileen Gu - Olympic champion who bestrides rivals US, China

Gu was born and raised in San Francisco and started her freeskiing career representing the United States, only to switch allegiance to China -- where her mother is from -- in 2019.

That decision drew intense interest at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics when she delivered two golds and a silver for the hosts and became one of the faces of the Games.

Now the 22-year-old, whose father is American, will be in the spotlight again as China's most prominent athlete at the Olympics at Milan-Cortina.

Speaking to AFP ahead of the Games, she said it was "sad" that some people were focused more on her sporting nationality than her performances.

Gu, who studies at Stanford University and is also a model, insists that her goal has always been to promote her sport.

"If people want to focus on another aspect, that makes me feel really sad," she said in December, nearly four years after winning gold on the same mountain near Beijing.

Gu clinched victory again, blasting through the wind for her 19th World Cup triumph. She went on to win a 20th in Switzerland a month later.

Freestyle skiing requires creativity and involves tricks off features such as jumps and rails, with judges' scores rather than fastest times dictating the winner.

- Scrutiny -

Gu's decision to represent China was scrutinised partly because China prohibits people from holding dual citizenship.

That meant Gu theoretically should have given up her US passport for her Chinese one.

China and the United States being economic and political rivals has also put Gu in the crosshairs.

Gu has defended her choices while dodging questions about her allegiances, telling reporters at the Beijing Games: "I'm just as American as I am Chinese."

She continues to live in the United States and posts frequently on Instagram -- which is banned in China -- to her two million followers.

Along with photos of her competing are pictures of her modelling luxurious clothes, watches and cars.

Gu was the fourth-highest-paid woman athlete in 2025, according to Forbes, earning $95,000 from skiing but $23 million "off-field".

She has signed endorsement deals with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Victoria's Secret, IWC watches, Red Bull and Porsche.

- Censorship -

In China, Gu's image features regularly on billboards and the covers of magazines.

She grew up travelling between California and Beijing and is praised in Chinese media for speaking fluent Mandarin.

Gu is beloved on Chinese social media, where she goes by "Frog Princess", a nod to a nickname she earned for wearing a green helmet.

But there has been criticism too.

Her support for Salt Lake City's bid to host the Winter Olympics became one of the top-trending topics on Chinese social media, with some questioning her motivation for competing for China.

In 2025 Chinese authorities appeared to censor a document showing plans to spend more than $6.6 million on training for Gu and another US-born athlete.

The document was still available on a Beijing government website later, but mention of the two athletes was gone.

"I don't think discussing (nationality) has a particularly huge point," said 30-year-old supporter Shu Dan, waving a flag reading "Eileen Gu No. 1" as she watched her compete.

"Now China is getting stronger and stronger. A lot of people will return and represent China," Shu said.

- 'Not that crazy' -

Gu, who in the year leading up to the 2026 Games has battled injury, points out that it is "not that crazy" for athletes to represent countries other than the ones they were born in.

"My message has remained the same, and it's to bring the sport to more people," she told AFP.

"I have been saying these same things since... way before I thought I had a career in this sport or before any national team even wanted me to ski for them."

The International Olympic Committee said in an email to AFP that Gu is eligible to represent China and has a Chinese passport.

But whether she still has a United States one too, only she knows.

Asked if she would like to put the nationality issue to rest by showing people her Chinese passport, Gu said: "I don't have that desire."

J.Saleh--SF-PST