Freestyle Skier Eileen Gu Still Lives With Her Mom And Grandma In SF
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Freestyle skier Eileen Gu, 18, has gotten a lot of attention going into the Winter Olympics. Today, she advanced to the Big Air finals at her first qualifying competition to a roaring crowd.
She was born and raised in San Francisco and decided in 2019 to compete for China, citing her heritage, according to The New York Times. In China, Eileen is known as Gu Ailing and works as a supermodel along with being a champion skier. She also speaks fluent Mandarin.
But who are Eileen’s parents, and what does this mean for her U.S. citizenship? Here’s what you need to know.
Eileen’s mom was born in China.
Eileen’s mom, Yan, emigrated from China about 30 years ago and raised Eileen as a single parent, according to the Times. Yan used to be a ski instructor at a resort near Lake Tahoe and usually travels with her daughter.
Yan studied biochemistry and molecular biology at Auburn University and molecular genetics at Rockefeller University, per Forbes. She’s also worked in investment banking at companies in New York and California, and has worked as a private investor and expert in China for Fusion Investment.
Who is Eileen Gu’s dad?
He’s kind of a mystery. The Times mentioned that he’s American and graduated from Harvard, but there’s no public record of him and she doesn’t talk publicly about him.
She was raised by her mother and her maternal grandmother in San Francisco.
Eileen was raised in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood, according to the NYT. She shares a home with her mother and maternal grandmother Feng Guozhen. Her bedroom had a view of the Golden Gate bridge.
Her grandmother often co-stars in Eileen's social media posts and short documentaries directed toward Chinese audiences, per the Times.
She spends part of every summer in Beijing.
Eileen is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has visited relatives and friends in Beijing most summers of her life, according to the NYT.
On Instagram, she mentions that she was working at a summer camp in Beijing when she heard the news that the Winter Olympics would be held in the city.
"I was ‘coaching’ a small Chinese trampoline summer camp in Beijing when we all gathered in front of the TV to watch the olympic 2022 bid," she captions the post.
"Even then, I was resolute to achieve the two equally ambitious goals of 1) competing in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and 2) spreading the (then-unheard of) sport of freeskiing in china. Having been introduced to the sport growing up in the US, I wanted to encourage Chinese skiers the same way my American role models inspired me. 9 years ago, I pitched the idea of a freeski competition. The result was the first slopestyle competition in china. Ever."
In 2019, Eileen decided to compete for China.
Eileen has publicly spoken about her choice to compete for China, writing on Instagram that it was an “incredibly tough decision” for her to make. “I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings,” she wrote.
“The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love. Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations. If I can help to inspire one young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true. 🇺🇸 🇨🇳 ❤️”
Did Eileen Gu give up her U.S. citizenship to compete for China?
Probably. Eileen has never publicly confirmed that she gave up her U.S. citizenship, according to ESPN. However, the International Olympic Committee requires athletes to hold passports for the countries they represent, and China does not recognize dual citizenship.
Because China does not allow dual citizenship, the government has encouraged the public to report people secretly holding two passports, according to CNN. There are very few exceptions to the ban, and it's unlikely that the government would make an exception for even an Olympic athlete, said Donald Clarke, a professor at the George Washington University Law School specializing in Chinese law.
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