5 Reasons We Love Eileen Gu
Eileen Gu/Instagram
1. She’s a simple Cali Girl just like the rest of us.
Despite being a world-champion freestyle skier, Eileen seems to have been raised with a down-to-earth lifestyle. In high school, she participated in track and cross country running in addition to her original sport. In an Instagram post, she called it “a true combo workout.”
2. She is academically brilliant!
According to her sponsor Red Bull, Eileen scored a 1580 on the SATs, placing her in the top 99th percentile. She made history at University High School in San Francisco by being the first student to graduate a year early. Following the Olympics in Beijing, she is headed for Stanford University’s Class of 2026.
3. She comes from a mixed immigrant background like us.
Although Eileen was raised by her Chinese mother and grandmother, she has an American father and was born in San Francisco. However, it’s no secret that she swapped her U.S. citizenship for a Chinese passport, so that she could compete for China in the 2022 Olympic Games. “Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations.”
Eileen Gu/Instagram
4. Her grandmother keeps it REAL.
We were surprised to hear that her grandmother, Feng Guozhen, has never watched Eileen compete, and possibly never seen her ski. “I’m not used to all this nonsense of making a big deal about success,” she says. According to The Nanjinger, Guozhen was “semi famous herself,” playing basketball for Shanghai Jiaotong University. She became a senior engineer in the Structural Reform Department of China’s Ministry of Transport, then retired to help raise Eileen.
Eileen Gu/Instagram
5. She has great style.
Eileen’s athletic accomplishments has captured the attention of the fashion world. She was signed by IMG Models, and she has brand deals with Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret, and Tiffany & Co., among many others. We especially admire her versatility—she has a Y2K-inspired street style, while also looking glamorous as she graces the steps of the Met or the cover and pages of VOGUEplus.
