From modeling to medaling, the story of skiing sensation Eileen Gu

Alongside her exploits on the slopes, Eileen Gu has become renowned for modeling work with brands such as Gucci and Fendi. Let's take a look at Gu' story...

Gu was born in San Francisco to a Chinese immigrant mother and an American father. With her father out of the picture, Gu’s mother raised her single-handedly.

Gu’s mother, Yan, was a talented short-track skater during her time at Peking University in the 1980s. She was also a coach on the university ski team, suggesting at least some of her daughter’s talent comes from her.

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From an early age, Eileen was on the slopes, having been enrolled in ski lessons from the age of three and competing with the Northstar California Resort free-ski team from the age of just eight.

Eileen’s mother told Forbes she only originally put Eileen in ski school so she could keep up with her and that she had, “accidentally created a pro skier.”

Eileen Gu’s talents don’t stop at skiing and modeling, in fact, she was also an academic genius in her own right. Scoring 1580/1600 in her SAT and earning early enrollment to Stanford University, all while she traveled to China every summer to improve her math knowledge.

Following her early promise on the slopes, Gu would go on to win her first national championship aged just nine. A sign of things to come.

Despite competing for the United States in the 2018-19 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Gu decided to compete for China, with the aim being at the 2022 Winter Olympics that were being held in Beijing.

Gu had been growing in popularity in China long before she decided to compete for the country at the Olympics, but her announcement, on Instagram and the Chinese social media site, Weibo, drew millions of views.

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There is some speculation about Gu’s nationality at this point, with reports from China suggesting she renounced her US citizenship, while others claim she has retained her US nationality even whilst competing for China.

Gu realized her goal by making the Chinese team for their home Winter Olympics. At the games, Gu competed in three competitions, big air, slopestyle, and halfpipe.

Aged just 19, Gu became the youngest gold medalist in the history of the women’s big air event. She would also go on to win the freeski halfpipe competition and earn a silver medal in the slopestyle.

Gu has grown a huge following online, with nearly 2 million followers on Instagram.

Gu is represented by IMG Models Worldwide and works with high-end fashion brands such as Gucci and Fendi.

Long before her Olympic success, Gu was receiving endorsements and sponsorships from brands in both America and China. These include The North Face and China Mobile.

According to Forbes.com, Gu’s success has allowed her to grow her net worth to north of $22 million.

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