Two-time Beijing gold-medalist, youngest ever freestyle skiing Olympic champion, national hero and now author.
After writing her name into the history books at Beijing 2022, China’s Eileen Gu is looking to pen a work of her own.
At just 18-years-old, Gu became the first freestyler skier in history to win three medals at a Games, winning gold in both the halfpipe and big air events.
Born and raised in California, Gu chose to compete for China in 2019, where her mother was born.
Now, following her historic Games, Gu is looking to share her unique journey in written form.
“I’m writing a book,” she told reporters during her final Beijing 2022 press conference.
“I’ve been writing diaries for years because I knew that the way I grew up was different, interesting and special, I’d like to share it with everyone in the future.”
She was hailed as the “pride of China” after winning her first gold, and has since won more medals than anyone else for the country at the Games.
As records continue to tumble in her wake, Gu asserted that these accolades serve a greater representational purpose beyond pure personal achievement.
“Extreme sports, we all know, are heavily dominated by men and stereotypically it has not had the kind of representation and sporting equity that it should,” Gu said.
“So I think that as a young biracial woman, it is super important to be able to reach those milestones and to be able to push boundaries — not only my own boundaries but those of the sport and those of the record books because that’s what paves the past for the next generation of girls.
“If you see yourself in the sport, it totally changes your perception of what you can do in it.
“So my biggest goal is one, to have fun for myself, but also to break the boundaries of the boxes that people get put in.”
