Eileen Gu is the greatest female freestyle skier to ever compete, and now, after her gold medal performance in the halfpipe at the Milan Olympics, she just reached a level that is going to be a standard for a long time in the sport. However, following her sixth Olympic medal, the 22-year-old revealed that the glittering tally of golds and silvers tells only a fraction of her story.

In a press conference, Gu opened up about the journey that brought her to the top of the podium, which has been filled with vulnerability.

“I’ve always thought that being the best is making things look easy. You are excellent, and it seems as though you kind of just cruise through life. Of course, you want another gold medal. But I think with vulnerability, there’s so much more power in that, because it empowers other people to feel as though they can undertake the journey too. And I’m not here to parade medals around,” she said.

The admission comes from the same athlete, whose every run is measured against impossible expectations. Indeed, she dazzled the Milan Olympics judges with a score of 94.75 in the Livigno halfpipe.

“I’m not here to stand on stage and tell everyone that I’m the best ever. The whole point of this is that if I can do it, then everyone else should try too. If I can do it, so can you, right? And so the point in that is showing people that it’s hard, right? I really struggled. I had a lot of mental health issues after the last Olympics. I dealt with severe injury. A year ago, I had a concussion in January of 2025,” Eileen Gu added.

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A year ago, she withdrew from ski halfpipe and ski big air events at the Winter X Games. This decision was made following an injury in a fall in the earlier street style competition. Gu confirmed that she had “some really aggressive bruising” and had zero mental and physical energy.

But that’s not all. In 2023, her season hit a wall when a practice crash sidelined her. She sprained both her ACL and MCL, bruised a bone, and had to pull out before she even got to compete. A brutal break for someone known for pushing through almost anything.

Fast-forward to 2024, and she was right back in the spotlight. She clinched the ski halfpipe title in her only X Games event that year, all while battling what Eileen Gu later described as “an unprecedented level of pain.” She revealed that just three days earlier, “a heavy hit” to her hip in training had left her struggling to walk. Following that, her 2025 incident left its mark.

Talking about those problems, she confessed, stating, “I had seizures after, and people were worried if I was going to wake up. That’s a real terrifying experience to go through, and I dealt with injury, and I dealt with cyberbullying, and I dealt with so many different things. But what’s important, I think, is learning to start showing that to the world in a way that is beneficial, right? I also don’t want to be complaining, but the point is, I have difficulties too.”

The runs that seemed effortless, she suggested, were born from struggle. The composure that appeared innate was hard-won through nights when her body turned against her, and strangers’ cruelty filled her screens.

Representing China for Eileen Gu hasn’t been that easy

Not only the internet, but also the United States Vice President JD Vance opened up on Fox News, about Eileen Gu competing for China, stating, “I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America.”

However, Gu had a very unbothered reply to the vice president’s statement.

“So many athletes compete for a different country. 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,” she said. “I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet.”

Well, Eileen Gu made the world believe that gold medals are not born from perfection but from the courage to keep fighting. Whether it’s a battle on the snow or about protecting an athlete’s mental health.