At 22, Eileen Gu ended the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics as the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history. That comes on the back of her winning three medals (two silvers and a gold). But contrary to this, she has also faced a cascade of hate and criticism for choosing to represent China over Team USA. In light of that, things could have gone very wrong on her return to San Francisco. However, the response from the audience was rather unexpected.

Every year, San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade brings in thousands of people together. Although things might have gone awry with Eileen Gu as the grand marshal this year, she received nothing but love.

Gu toured the city’s Chinatown on the back of a red car and was met with nothing but emphatic cheers. In fact, some nudged up to the barricades, hoping to see her closely.

Children and adults alike captured the moment with photos. Despite the parade lasting more than two hours, it went off without a single protest. This comes after fans had been upset by her decision to represent China. Some, such as former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, even go to the length of calling her a ‘traitor.’

“I’m just going to say it, she’s a traitor. She was born in America. She was raised in America, lives in America, and chooses to compete against her own country…” he told Fox News earlier this week.

It sparked widespread debate online, placing the alpine skier under a harsh spotlight. But this time, things were different. In fact, the Olympian capped the celebration with a brief speech that drew yet another wave of applause from the crowd.

“I hope in the new year, everybody finds prosperity, health, time with family,” Gu said, as per Yahoo Sports. “Make the world a better place in your own way, pursue your passions, do what you love and bring it back home, San Francisco! Thank you so much for all the love tonight!”

Eileen Gu’s journey has always stirred headlines and debate. Born in San Francisco, by filing a change of national affiliation with the International Ski Federation, she set out to represent China at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, a choice that instantly reshaped her image in both countries.

In China, her decision was celebrated with open arms. State media and fans embraced her as a symbol of national pride and the shining face of the country’s winter sports ambitions. But back in the United States, reactions were more divided. Many admired her talent and success, but others questioned her values and motives. The most recent criticism came from American journalist Megyn Kelly, who weighed in on the controversy.

“She gets all the advantages of being an American. She gets all the support from her fellow Americans. She gets an education at an American university, one of our most prestigious. And then she flies the coop to go compete for China, where she reportedly got a check. So, that’s Eileen Gu’s values,” Kelly said.

Despite the criticism, Gu’s skill keeps winning her fans. Her reception in the U.S. shows that plenty of people are happy to celebrate her achievements. It’s proof that talent has a way of crossing borders.

Now, the 22-year-old was named grand marshal for the parade before the Winter Olympics. Before that, actor Joan Chen led the parade in 2025 while Awkwafina was the grand marshal in 2024. That does come as no surprise, given Gu’s popularity before the tournament, which has only risen tenfold since then.

Eileen Gu opens up on her decision to represent China

Her rapid rise in popularity has also renewed scrutiny over her choice to compete for China. Born in San Francisco, Gu studies at Stanford University and resides in the United States. She even represented Team USA during the 2018-19 Freestyle Ski World Cup before formally switching her national affiliation to China through the International Ski Federation.

Since then, her decision to do so has seen her come under immense criticism. That started well before the 2026 Winter Olympics and has continued during and after that as well. And in an Instagram post, Gu opened up about her decision to change her national affiliation.

She touched upon the fact that she was the only girl on her ski team as an 11-year-old. How she decided to represent China and how grateful she is to have spent that one year on the US team.

“Skiing for Team China meant the opportunity to uplift others through the universal culture of sport, and to introduce freeskiing to hundreds of millions of people who had never heard of it, especially with the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics around the corner,” Gu wrote on Instagram.

“I can look back now, at 22, and tell 12 year old Eileen that there are now terrain parks full of little girls, who will never doubt their place in the sport.”

Not only that, Eileen Gu went on to touch upon the fact that her decision to switch was to inspire little girls, and she believes she has done exactly that now.