Eileen Gu, the freestyle skiing prodigy who transcends her sport

Eileen Gu has always known exactly what she wants. In a video that later went viral, she’s seen in her school uniform declaring that she wants to be as strong as the boys. Years on, she’s gone far beyond that ambition.

Eileen Gu - fenomen freestyle’owego narciarstwa, wykraczający poza granice sportu

Image credit: Imago

She’s just 22 years old, yet she’s already set to be one of the headline stars of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo (February 6-22).

She claimed two gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games and is now a favourite of the world’s biggest brands. This US-born skier competing for China has done more than dominate her sport – she’s redefined it.

Eileen Gu has always known exactly what she wants. In a video that later went viral, she’s seen in her school uniform declaring that she wants to be as strong as the boys. Years on, she’s gone far beyond that ambition.

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Fuelled by determination, resilience and extraordinary talent, Gu has become the global face of freestyle skiing, and a powerful role model for a new generation of teenage girls.

Born in 2003 in San Francisco to a Chinese mother and an American father, her journey has been anything but ordinary. Her natural ability lit up the slopes of Lake Tahoe, but few could have predicted such a meteoric rise.

As the only girl on her first freestyle skiing teams, Gu was confronted with sexist and dismissive comments from her male teammates. Rather than holding her back, they became fuel. She channelled every slight into motivation.

Her early international competitions simply confirmed what freestyle fans already suspected: Gu was a rare talent. And not just in one event.

While most athletes specialise, the Californian decided not to choose. Halfpipe, big air and slopestyle: she competes in all three. From soaring jumps to technical obstacle courses, no challenge is too great for her appetite for victory.

Girl Power

Success followed swiftly at the World Championships and the X Games, but Gu never lost sight of the bigger picture.

Believing that education was key to sustaining her career, she continued her studies and earned a place at Stanford University, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions.

At the same time, she was determined to inspire young girls (particularly in China) both on and off the slopes. That’s why, in 2019, she chose to compete under her mother’s nationality.

Fluent in Mandarin and frequently travelling between the two countries, the transition felt natural. By the time the Beijing Olympics arrived in 2022, she was already a national heroine.

But what about the pressure? She barely felt it. Cheered on by an entire nation, Eileen Gu cemented her status as a global superstar by winning gold in big air and halfpipe, plus silver in slopestyle.

At just 18 years and 159 days old, she became the youngest triple medallist in Winter Olympic history.

From there, everything accelerated. Nicknamed the ‘Frog Princess’ thanks to her green helmet, Gu attracted unprecedented media attention for a freestyle skier. Sponsors queued up, her profile exploded, and her earnings followed suit.

According to Forbes magazine, in 2025 she was the fourth highest paid sportswoman in the world. The success also opened the door to another passion: fashion. She now models for some of the biggest luxury brands on the planet.

A model since her teenage years, Eileen has always embraced fashion. Confident in her role as a trailblazer for young women, she has shown that elite sporting success and femininity are not mutually exclusive.

After years of dressing like the boys to fit in, she now expresses herself freely. In doing so, she’s also inspiring brands to champion women in sport.

"Her spirit and passion reflect our vision: to enable more women to live extraordinary lives," said TCL, for whom Eileen is an ambassador.

The Gu of effort

Of course, life at the top is far from effortless. Constant travel, replying to media demands and the inevitable injuries require resilience as much as talent.

Gu leans heavily on her background in mathematics and physical sciences, analysing and calculating tricks by assessing their difficulty and probability.

It’s one of her most powerful victories yet: proving that elite sport isn’t just about instinct and talent, it’s also about intelligence.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics now just weeks away, Eileen Gu knows all eyes will be on her so remains characteristically composed.

"Nobody can take away what I’ve already achieved," she told the official Olympics website.

"The best thing that I can do is stay positive, try to be a role model for others and promote freestyle skiing and all the joys that the sport has brought me."

Cool under pressure, fearless in ambition, and already rewriting history… Eileen Gu is only just getting started.

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