After winning three medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Eileen Gu realized a lifelong dream, defending her 2022 title with gold in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe. But that triumph was bittersweet!

Shortly after her victory, she learned that her grandmother, Guozhen Feng, had passed away.

“She was a steamship,” Gu shared.

The next day, a new video of her grandmother resurfaced, offering a personal insight into the relationship that influenced Gu’s path.

Shared by @ShanghaiDaily on X, the video shows Gu in a red fuzzy hat and a black and white check sweater, with her grandmother in a red jacket, red hat, and pearl necklace smiling proudly and warmly. In the video, her grandmother praises Gu.

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“I think my granddaughter is excellent; she excellent in all aspects.”

Blushing, Eileen Gu responds, “Ha ha, really? I’ve been praised like this…”

She then recounts a vivid memory from seventh grade, when she ran a cross-country race in the United States.

“I was running … the distance was maybe three kilometers. I was running, and I heard, ‘Eileen number one! Eileen number one!’ I was second…” she turned to see, “Why is someone shouting ‘Eileen number one’? I could see him in front of me…”

Her grandmother replied, “Because I want you to sprint and cheer you on.”

Gu continued, “I turned and saw my grandma standing there, surrounded by a group of parents. Remember, that was in America how did she communicate with so many American parents and organize them to cheer for me? I didn’t know how. But this may be the source of my greatest confidence.”

This memory reflects the connection between Gu and her grandmother, which continued to inspire her even at the Olympics.

During a post-match conference after winning the gold, visibly emotional, Eileen Gu spoke about her grandmother.

“She inspired me so much. The last time I saw her before I came to the Olympics, she was very sick, so I knew this was a possibility. I didn’t probably say that I was going to win, but I did promise her that I was going to be brave. She’s been brave.”

These words connect her triumph with the lifelong guidance she received from her grandmother.

The woman behind Eileen Gu’s rise

Eileen Gu was raised in San Francisco in an environment dominated by two women, her mother, Yan Gu, and her maternal grandmother, Feng Guozhen, whom she calls Nai Nai (grandmother in Mandarin).

Feng was a former Chinese senior engineer who immigrated to the U.S. to be a part of Eileen’s upbringing, as her mother was focused on her career. They coexisted in building a supportive atmosphere in the Sea Cliff locality.

Feng Guozhen spent hours with Eileen Gu, teaching her Mandarin, the Chinese culture, and how to remain close to her roots, during the summer-long visits to Beijing. This, rooted in language and culture, contributed to Gu accepting her duality and working internationally as a trainee and competitor.

Outside the academic and cultural sphere, Feng played an important role in Eileen’s life in terms of confidence and competitive spirit.

Her friends and family described her as very competitive and confident, and Eileen herself referred to her grandmother as “fiercely confident…who instilled in me my competitive nature.”

Gu often looked at her grandmother’s approach to life, saying Feng didn’t “cruise through life” but got its reins and turned it into what she wanted it to be. Even fun times were lessons.

Feng would tease Eileen when she was skiing: “You’re just doing it for fun. You can go be a doctor or lawyer later.”

But those jests and her guidance got Gu straight, and made her modest and reach high.