At just 22-years-old, Eileen Gu has become the most decorated freeskier with an incredible six Olympic medals.
“I have the most gold medals ever, male or female,” the Chinese-American athlete said. “That’s a testament to competitive strength, it’s mental strength. It’s being able to perform under pressure, it has nothing to (do with) if you’re a boy or a girl.”
Defeats aside, Eileen is one of the most alluring characters on the snow. After competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics representing China, she has gone viral for not only her skills, but her confidence and infectious joy.
In the same year, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, and was named in Forbes 30 Under 30.
She went viral again for her response to a reporter who asked if the two silver medals she won in the 2026 Winter Olympics for freeski slopestyle and freeski big air were just “two gold medals lost.”
“I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that’s an answer in and of itself,” Eileen said. “How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder.”
This wasn’t the only time Eileen made headlines. Mid-competition, she called out the 2026 Olympic schedulers for a “totally avoidable issue.”
As the only athlete competing in slopestyle, halfpipe and big air, Eileen was forced to miss “an entire day of pipe training” due to the upcoming big air final scheduled at the same time.
“No other woman in the halfpipe field is competing in another event, and for good reason – Halfpipe is different from slope and big air, and demands its own training time accordingly,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Daring to be the only woman to compete in three events should not be penalised – making finals in one event should not disadvantage me in another. What kind of message does this send to future athletes who love skiing for its essence and want to compete in every event?”
During the 2026 Milano Cortina, Eilen won three medals, including gold in the women’s freeski halfpipe, scoring 94.00. But sporting lovers saw a different side to the athlete during the post-conference.
Through tears, Eileen revealed she’d just found out about her grandmother, Feng Guozhen’s passing moments before attending the press conference.
“She was a really big part of my life growing up, and someone I looked up to immensely,” Eileen reflected. “She inspired me so much. The last time I saw her, before I came to the Olympics, she was very sick. So I knew that this was a possibility.
“I didn’t promise her that I was going to win. But I did promise her that I was going to be brave, like she has been brave.”
