Eileen Gu is the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic History at just 22-years-old. Hannah Peters / Getty Images
With her two silver medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Eileen Gu has become the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic history. The San Francisco-born Stanford University alum has won five medals (two gold, three silver) while representing China, where her mother is from.
Her choice to represent China, rather than the United States, is a decision Vice President JD Vance said he disagrees with.
“I certainly think that somebody who grew up in the United States of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope that they want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance told Fox News on Tuesday. “So, I’m going to root for American athletes, and I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I’m rooting for this Olympics.”
Gu’s two gold medals came in big air and halfpipe at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she first represented China. According to her Olympic bio, Gu is fluent in both English and Mandarin. She has said in previous interviews that her decision to represent China was driven by a desire to forge her own path.
“The U.S. already has the representation,” she told Time Magazine. “I like building my own pond.”
Gu was born in 2003, and her mother, Yan Gu, is a first-generation Chinese immigrant. Her father is American. China does not allow dual citizenship, and Gu has declined to disclose her citizenship status. Olympic rules state that “a national of two or more countries at the same time may represent either one of them.”
“I have no idea what her status should be,” Vance told Fox News. “I think that’s ultimately up to the Olympic committee.”
Vance has been a visible presence at the Olympics, leading the U.S. delegation at the opening ceremonies at San Siro Stadium in Milan. He was booed when he appeared on the Jumbotron.
As for Gu, when asked during the Beijing 2022 Olympics to clarify her citizenship, she expressed a desire to focus on how sport unites people.
“I definitely feel as though I am just as American as I am Chinese,” Gu told reporters in Beijing. “I’m American when I’m in the U.S., and I’m Chinese when I’m in China. I’ve been very outspoken about my gratitude to both the US and China for making me the person I am.
“I don’t feel as though I’m taking advantage of one or the other, because both have actually been incredibly supportive of me and continue to be supportive of me because they understand that my mission is to use sport as a force for unity. To use it as a form of fostering interconnection between countries, and not use it as a divisive force.”
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