Olympic freeskier Eileen Gu has responded after US Vice-President JD Vance appeared to criticise her decision to represent China instead of the United States. Gu, 22, is the most decorated female freeskier in Olympic history, with five medals including two golds and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Games and two silvers at the Milano Cortina Games.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Vance suggested that American-born athletes should compete for the US, saying he would 'root for American athletes'. When asked about Gu specifically, he said he had 'no idea what her status should be'. Gu, born in San Francisco to an American father and Chinese mother, switched to compete for China in 2019.
After a qualifying run on Thursday, Gu responded: 'I'm flattered. Thanks, JD! That's sweet.' She added that she was not offended and agreed that she had become a 'punching bag' for US political debate. 'So many athletes compete for a different country. People only have a problem with me doing it because they lump China into this monolithic entity and just hate China,' she said.
Gu also noted that her success draws attention: 'If I wasn't doing well, I think they probably wouldn't care as much.' She reiterated her long-standing principle of inspiring young women, saying: 'I do what I do because I want to inspire the next generation of young women. I've had the same principle since I was literally prepubescent.'
More than 15 American-born athletes have won medals at these Games for other countries, while at least 13 foreign-born athletes have medalled for Team USA. Gu is a favourite to medal again in the halfpipe on Saturday.
