JD Vance sends message to Eileen Gu after Olympic | Sports News

Olympic medals are normally categorised as gold, silver, and bronze, however for Eileen Gu, each accolade has turn into intertwined with U.S. political discourse. The Olympic champion was thrust back into a nationality controversy this week after former NBA participant Enes Freedom known as her a “traitor” for opting to compete for China regardless of being born and raised within the United States.

“I certainly think somebody who grew up in the US, who benefitted from our education system and the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope they would want to compete with the U.S.,” he mentioned.

“So I’m going to root for American athletes and part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans.”

Freedom accused Gu of benefiting from American liberties whereas serving as a “global PR asset” for China and contended she ought to forfeit U.S. citizenship. Gu modified her allegiance from Team USA to Team China in 2019, at age 15, to help develop snowboarding in Asia.

Gu has persistently stood by her selection. Born in San Francisco to a Chinese mom, Yan Gu, she spent her summers in Beijing and has characterised herself as embracing each cultures.

“When I’m in the U.S., I’m American, but when I’m in China, I’m Chinese,” she beforehand defined. Her ambition was to promote freestyle snowboarding in China, the place winter sports activities participation has historically trailed considerably behind the United States.

At the 2022 Beijing Games, Gu captured two gold medals and one silver, and has already secured two silver medals on the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, putting second in each Big Air and Slopestyle competitions. She is now hoping to defend her halfpipe title later this week, with qualifying rounds but to happen.

With 5 Olympic medals to her title, she has emerged as probably the most completed freestyle skier in Olympic historical past. Reports point out Gu earned roughly $23 million in 2025 from sponsorship offers with each Western luxurious corporations and Chinese enterprises.

Recent disclosures have additionally revealed that Beijing municipal officers supplied round $6.6 million in collective coaching assets for her Olympic preparations.

Questions persist relating to her citizenship scenario since China doesn’t formally allow twin citizenship. Gu has refused to verify whether or not she surrendered her U.S. passport.