Eileen Gu

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Gu.
The native form of this personal name is Gu Ailing. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Eileen Gu
2020-01-20 Freestyle skiing at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics – Women's Halfpipe – Mascot Ceremony (Martin Rulsch) 06 (cropped portrait).jpg
Personal information
Native name谷爱凌
Full nameEileen Feng Gu
Nationality
  • China
  • United States
Born (2003-09-03) 3 September 2003 (age 18)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Sport
CountryChina
SportFreestyle skiing
Event(s)
  • Halfpipe
  • Slopestyle
  • Big air
ClubBeijing Nanshan Ski Resort
Medal record
Women's freestyle skiing
Representing  China
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Aspen Halfpipe
Gold medal – first place 2021 Aspen Slopestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Aspen Big air
Winter X Games
Gold medal – first place 2021 Aspen Superpipe
Gold medal – first place 2021 Aspen Slopestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Aspen Big air
Winter Youth Olympics
Gold medal – first place 2020 Lausanne Big air
Gold medal – first place 2020 Lausanne Halfpipe
Silver medal – second place 2020 Lausanne Slopestyle
Eileen Gu
Simplified Chinese谷爱凌
Traditional Chinese谷愛凌

Eileen Feng Gu[1][2] (Chinese: 谷爱凌; pinyin: Gǔ Àilíng; born 3 September 2003), alternatively known as Ailing Gu, is an American-born freestyle skier who has competed for China since 2019.

Personal life and education[]

Gu was born in the United States to an American father and a mother of Chinese origin. Her mother, Yan Gu, moved to the U.S. from China as a student in her twenties, enrolling at Auburn University and Rockefeller University. Having skied for the first time at Hunter Mountain, Eileen's mother's passion for the sport deepened after relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area while she earned an MBA from Stanford University. She put young Eileen in ski lessons at Lake Tahoe so that her daughter could keep up with her. Yan Gu, as Eileen put it, "accidentally created a pro skier."[3]

On 1 March 2021, she wrote on Sina Weibo that she was recognized as a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program from San Francisco University High School in January.[4][1] She was not ultimately awarded the scholarship.[5]

She has called out Anti-Asian rhetoric during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and supported the Black Lives Matter movement.[6]

Sports career[]

Eileen Gu participated at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2021, winning two gold medals in Freeski Halfpipe and Freeski Slopestyle. Gu became the first freeskier to win two golds at the FIS Freeski World Championship. She also won a bronze medal in Freeski Big Air.[7][8] She was also injured at the event with a broken hand.[9]

In 2021 Gu became the first woman to land a forward double cork 1440.[10]

World Cup results[]

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[11]

Podiums[]

  • 8 wins – (2 SS, 5 HP, 1 BA)
  • 12 podiums – (5 SS, 6 HP, 1 BA)
Representing Season Date Location Discipline Place
United States United States 2018–2019 12 January 2019 France Font Romeu, France Slopestyle 2nd
27 January 2019 Italy Seiser Alm, Italy Slopestyle 1st
China China 2019–2020 7 September 2019 New Zealand Cardrona, New Zealand Halfpipe 2nd
14 February 2020 Canada Calgary, Canada Halfpipe 1st
15 February 2020 Canada Calgary, Canada Slopestyle 1st
2020–2021 21 November 2020 Austria Stubai, Austria Slopestyle 3rd
2021–2022 4 December 2021 United States Steamboat, United States Big Air 1st
10 December 2021 United States Copper Mountain, United States Halfpipe 1st
30 December 2021 Canada Calgary, Canada Halfpipe 1st
1 January 2022 Canada Calgary, Canada Halfpipe 1st
8 January 2022 United States Mammoth Mountain, United States Halfpipe 1st
9 January 2022 United States Mammoth Mountain, United States Slopestyle 2nd

Nationality controversy[]

Born in the United States to an American father and first-generation immigrant mother of Chinese origin, Eileen Gu has competed for China since June 2019 by requesting a change of nation with the International Ski Federation at age 15.[12][13][14] Her goal was to compete for China in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics,[15][16] and the Olympic Charter Rule 41 by-law allows for multiple citizenship.[17] She has said that through skiing she hopes "to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations."[15][16]

Chinese nationality law does not recognize dual citizenship.[18] The law allows minors of Chinese descent under the age of 18 to apply for Chinese citizenship by having a legal guardian cosign their naturalization application with the understanding that they will not retain foreign citizenship upon approval.[19][20] But the United States does not allow U.S. citizens under the age of 16 to renounce their U.S. citizenship.[21] As a result, it is possible for Gu to hold only Chinese citizenship from the perspective of China while holding dual citizenship from an international point of view.

She did not answer a reporter's question regarding her status as a U.S. citizen at the time she changed national representation.[22] At present, there has been no evidence of her renouncing her U.S. citizenship per the U.S. Treasury Department's Quarterly Publication of Individuals Who Have Chosen to Expatriate.[23] On 1 March 2021, she wrote on Sina Weibo that she was recognized as a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program from San Francisco University High School in January.[4][1] The scholarship is only open to those who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents by the application deadline.[24] In spite of this, since 2019, much of the media in China has widely reported that she renounced U.S. citizenship at the time she changed national representation.[25][26][27] For a time, her profile on the Red Bull sponsored athletes website also included the claim that she had renounced U.S. citizenship upon naturalization, but this information was removed when The Wall Street Journal inquired regarding its accuracy.[15]

She has received online criticism from one side for her decision to switch national representation and also from the other side for presumably not renouncing her U.S. citizenship as believed to be required by Chinese nationality law.[9][28][29] In interviews, she has said, "Nobody can deny I'm American, nobody can deny I'm Chinese"[30] and "When I'm in the U.S., I'm American, but when I'm in China, I'm Chinese."[31][32]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. January 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Eileen Gu - Portfolio". IMG Models. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  3. ^ Bruton, Michelle. "Eileen Gu: Emerging Freeskiing Star, Fashion Model, Future Olympian … And Only 17 Years Old". Forbes. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b Gu, Eileen (1 March 2021). "Presidential Scholars Program Candidate". Sina Weibo. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  5. ^ "U.S. Department of Education Announces 161 Students from Across the Country As 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars | U.S. Department of Education". www.ed.gov. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Chinese-American skier Gu laments 'absurd' violence towards Asian-Americans". South China Morning Post. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  7. ^ Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships. "Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships – Overall Results — FRI 12 MAR 2021 Start Time: 13:00 — Women's Freeski Halfpipe" (PDF). data.fis-ski.com. FIS.
  8. ^ Mark Clavin (13 March 2021). "Gu and Porteous clinch halfpipe gold medals in Aspen". fis-ski.com. FIS.
  9. ^ a b "Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu 'deeply honoured' to lead China's winter push". South China Morning Post. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  10. ^ "China's Eileen Gu stomps world's first women's freeski double cork 1440".
  11. ^ "GU Ailing Eileen - Athlete Information - Results". FIS. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Eileen Gu". Biography. Red Bull. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  13. ^ Shapiro, Bee (16 March 2021). "The Freestyle Ski Star Eileen Gu Has a Warning About TikTok Diets". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  14. ^ "GU Ailing Eileen - Athlete Information - Career Information". FIS. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  15. ^ a b c Bachman, Rachel (10 January 2022). "China's Star Skier Was Born in the USA—and Still Lives There". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  16. ^ a b @eileen_gu_ (6 June 2019). "I have decided to compete for China in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics..." – via Instagram.
  17. ^ "Olympic Charter" (PDF). Olympics. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China". National Immigration Administration. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  19. ^ "申请加入中国国籍须知". National Immigration Administration. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  20. ^ "外国人申请加入中国国籍". 东莞警察网. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Renunciation of U.S. Nationality Abroad". U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  22. ^ Zhou, Viola (7 June 2019). "American teen skier to compete in Winter Olympics as Chinese citizen". Inkstone News. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen to Expatriate". Federal Register. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  24. ^ "U.S. Presidential Scholars Program: Eligibility". www2.ed.gov. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  25. ^ "放弃美国籍的天才奥运少女成人了，成奢侈品圈红人未来可期！". Sohu. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  26. ^ "谷爱凌为什么放弃美国国籍，为中国参赛，她用一句北京话解释". NetEase. 12 September 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  27. ^ "谷爱凌放弃美国国籍，加入中国国籍，8个月为中国赢得8块奖牌". Tencent News. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  28. ^ "关于谷爱凌的国籍问题，我们来看看国籍法是怎么规定的？". Hupu. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  29. ^ "惊了！代表中国打冬奥会的美国人谷爱凌(Eileen Gu)还真的很可能没有放弃美国国籍". YouTube. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  30. ^ "How star skier Eileen Gu intends to empower young Chinese women". South China Morning Post. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  31. ^ "U.S. teen skier looks to inspire Chinese young women through sports". ESPN.com. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  32. ^ "Five things you didn't know about freestyle skiing prodigy Gu Ailing Eileen". Olympics.com. Retrieved 11 July 2021.

External links[]

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