Olympic champion Eileen Gu sparks debate by questioning her critics’ contributions to country

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu. Photo from Gu’s Instagram

According to the South China Morning Post, in a video posted to her Douyin account on Aug. 21, Gu detailed her achievements: “In the past five years, I’ve represented China in 41 international competitions and have won 39 medals for China.”

“I have also introduced three chief coaches and donated freestyle skis to the national team, and continually advocated for China and women on the global stage,” she continued. “What have you done for the country?”

These comments came after questions arose about Gu’s behavior, including an alleged intimate interaction with French Olympic swimmer Leon Marchand, who appeared to ignore a handshake request from Chinese coach Zhu Zhigen, at a Paris nightclub earlier this month. The incident particularly drew attention as Gu had deleted all photos of Marchand from her social media following negative reactions from the Chinese public towards the swimmer.

Chinese sports commentator Li Pingkang has publicly called Gu’s actions “opportunistic and utilitarian” in a post on his Weibo account.

The responses to Gu’s video on Douyin were mixed.

“I really don’t understand the hate against her, she’s such a positive role model,” one commenter observed.

“I don’t get why people are so full of malice towards her,” another said. “Why don’t you try winning a championship?”

“Is she implying that Chinese people who don’t win medals haven’t contributed to the country? The billions of taxpayers haven’t contributed?” another contested. “Just because you won a gold medal, you’re the only one who has contributed?”

“She only talks about her contributions, but why doesn’t she mention the benefits she’s received, how much money she has earned in China?” another inquired.

“She has earned billions in endorsements from the Chinese market. It’s all about money – she won gold for China, but she has also made a fortune from China. There’s no need to glorify it so much.”

Gu, 21, was born in the U.S. to a Chinese mother and an American father. She announced that she had become a Chinese citizen in June 2019, committing to represent China in international competitions.

She earned the distinction as the youngest Olympic gold medalist in freestyle skiing by winning the big air and halfpipe events and earning a silver in slopestyle at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. This also marked her as the first freestyle skier to secure three medals at a single Winter Olympics.

Time magazine named her one of the world’s 100 most influential people in its 2022 annual list, categorizing her under “Pioneers.” Forbes listed her as the world’s second highest-paid female athlete in 2023.