The ongoing Winter Olympics in Milan served excitement and disappointment to athletes, but Eileen Gu had a balanced share of both.

Despite emerging as one of the top-most athletes at the ongoing international event, she faced heavy criticism for representing China despite being an American by origin. While the US vice president JD Vance stepped forward to criticize her decision to play under a different flag, Gu fired back with a bold remark.

“So many athletes compete for a different country,” Eileen Gu noted.

“People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really about what they think it’s about.”

This came after the freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu found herself at the intersection of sport and political commentary.

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During a recent interview, she addressed Vance’s remarks, who suggested he hoped that someone raised in the United States would “want to compete with the United States.”

Rather than reacting negatively, Gu brushed off the comment with charm, responding, “I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet.”

At just 22 years of age, Gu adapted herself to public scrutiny, particularly because she decided to compete internationally while maintaining ties to the U.S. She even acknowledged feeling targeted in political conversations.

When asked if she sometimes feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics at the moment,” Gu agreed. Despite this, she continues to focus on her performance at the Winter Olympics.

Gu revealed personal challenges off the slopes, too.

She opened up about being assaulted on Stanford University’s campus last year.

“Not by a Stanford student,” she said. “Like a person who came and physically attacked me in broad daylight. And then our dorm was robbed. … It was pretty serious, yeah.”

Despite the issues, Gu remains focused on her performance and numbers.

She recently secured a spot in the halfpipe finals after delivering a critical second run score of 86.50. Her schedule has been especially demanding, as she chose to compete in multiple disciplines.

“It’s a challenge being the only person in this field competing in another event, let alone two,” she acknowledged.

Nevertheless, Gu’s focus keeps her among the strongest contenders for another medal.

“Like being the best” – Eileen Gu opens up about her superior mentality

At just 22, Eileen Gu has already won five Olympic medals and could win another soon, making her the most successful female freestyle skier in Olympic history. For Gu, this success is not a surprise because she has always wanted to be number one.

“I just like being the best. I’ve always wanted to do that,” she shared.

“I wanted to be the best at math when I was in kindergarten… and I wanted to be the best skier I could be. Then I wanted to do every event, and then I wanted to win them all. When you get a taste of it, it’s kind of addictive.”

Gu was born in California to an American father and a Chinese mother. She grew up studying in San Francisco and later joined Stanford University. Gu also speaks Mandarin and spent time in Beijing as a child.

At age 15, she made the big decision to compete for China.

Talking about her unique position, she said, “Sometimes it feels like I’m carrying the weight of two countries on my shoulders.”

Her performance at the Beijing 2022 Olympics made her famous around the world, where she won two gold medals and one silver. Her performance at the Milan-Cortina 2026 also saw her win two silver medals in slopestyle and big air. She also qualified for the halfpipe final after scoring 86.50 in her second run. However, it remains to be seen if she adds more to the number.