Eileen Gu speaks out after criticism for…
American-born Team China skier Eileen Gu responded to the global criticism she has obtained during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Her resolution to compete for China despite being born in the US has made her a goal for Americans and others across the world, with Vice President JD Vance chiming in by saying he hopes athletes born right here would “want to compete with the United States of America.”
“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet,” Gu said of Vance’s feedback, per USA Today.
Gu was requested if she at present feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics” after her competitors on Thursday.
“I do,” she said, per USA Today. “So many athletes compete for a different nation. … People only have a drawback with me doing it because they sort of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s probably not about what they assume 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.”
China’s Eileen Gu after her second run in the ladies’s freestyle snowboarding halfpipe qualification at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 19, 2026. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Eileen Gu, with a Chinese flag wrapped around her, celebrates her silver medal in the Women’s Freeski Big Air on Feb. 16, 2026. Getty Images
Gu has beforehand said she was “physically assaulted” for her resolution to characterize China.
“The police were called. I’ve had death threats. I’ve had my dorm robbed,” Gu told The Athletic. “I’ve gone through some things as a 22-year-old that I really think no one should ever have to endure, ever.”
Gu will compete in the ladies’s freestyle snowboarding halfpipe closing on Thursday after successful silvers in her first two occasions.
Gu has beforehand said she was “physically assaulted” for her resolution to characterize China. Getty Images
It would be the climax of an Olympics outlined by immense global criticism for Gu.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Gu and Zhu Yi, a fellow American-born determine skater who now competes for China, have been paid a mixed $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 for “striving for excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.”
In all, the 2 have been reportedly paid practically $14 million over the past three years.
Eileen Gu competes in the freestyle snowboarding halfpipe qualification at Livigno Snow Park. AFP via Getty Images
Vance weighed in on the controversy surrounding Gu in a Tuesday interview on Fox News’ “The Story With Martha MacCallum.”
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance said on “The Story With Martha MacCallum.”
“So, I’m going to root for American athletes, I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I’m rooting for in this Olympics.”
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