China’s Star Recruit Eileen Gu Wins Gold in Big Air Skiing Event

U.S. born but competing for China, skier Eileen Gu lived up to high expectations in her first Beijing Winter Olympics event. "This is one of the happiest days in my life, one of the happiest moments," Eileen Gu told media after winning gold in the women's Big Air skiing on Tuesday. Even before her gold medal-winning performance, Gu was a darling of the Chinese media and Olympic organizers. Assisted by her mother Gu Yan, she has created a marketing empire promoting a variety of major brands such as China Mobile and Anta Sportswear. In 2019 she revealed her decision to compete for at the Winter Games for China rather than the U.S. China won only one gold medal in the last winter Olympics in 2018, and the recruiting of top athletic talent from overseas such as Gu has been part of an official strategy to boost the nation's medal tally. With excellent results in freestyle skiing competitions in the past two years, Gu's status in China has grown, as has her bankability as a brand ambassador. Amidst the downward spiral of China-U.S. relations, and criticisms of China's human rights abuses, Gu's decision to compete for China rather than the country of her birth has been controversial.