Five-time Olympic medalist Eileen Gu offered a measured but unmistakably firm reply Thursday to comments from U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggesting she ought to be representing the United States instead of China on the international sports stage.
At the heart of the exchange is a question that has shadowed Gu’s career since she was a teenager: Which nation’s flag should she compete under?
‘Flattered’ but Unbothered: Gu’s Reply to Vance
Vance, speaking Tuesday on Fox News, said he hoped athletes raised and educated in the United States — “who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place” — would choose to compete for the U.S.
“I certainly think that somebody … would want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance said, adding he had “no idea what her status should be” and that such decisions are “up to the Olympic committee.”
When asked about Vance’s remarks Thursday, Gu — who was born in San Francisco — kept her response lighthearted but pointed.
“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet,” Gu said via USA Today before putting into perspective her decision and addressing critics who view her choice through geopolitical lenses.
“So many athletes compete for a different country … people only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China,” she said. “And also, because I win. … If I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me.”
The Olympic Champion with Dual Roots
Gu, 22, is the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic history. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, she won two gold medals (halfpipe and big air) and a silver (slopestyle), becoming the youngest Olympic champion in her sport. At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, she added at least two more silver medals and was preparing on Thursday for the women’s halfpipe final.
Her decision to represent China internationally has drawn intense attention because she was born and raised in the United States.
Gu was born in San Francisco to an American father and her mother, Yan Gu, who emigrated from China in the early 1990s and became a venture capitalist and investor. She grew up in a bilingual household and began skiing at age 3 in the Lake Tahoe area, according to her Olympics.com profile.
In 2019, at 15, Gu announced she would compete for China — her mother’s birth country — a choice she framed as a chance to inspire a new generation and grow winter sports in a nation with far fewer skiing traditions than the United States.
Critics have also seized on the question of her citizenship status, given that China does not officially permit dual citizenship. There is no public record of her relinquishing her U.S. citizenship, and Gu has largely declined to settle the matter in the public domain, saying it is a personal issue and that she sees herself equally as American and Chinese.
From Slopes to Global Brand
Beyond her Olympic success, Gu is one of the richest and most commercially successful winter athletes in the world.
Estimates vary.
According to Forbes, Gu earned about $23.1 million in 2025, placing her among the highest-paid female athletes globally, nearly all of it from endorsements with brands such as Red Bull, Porsche, IWC Schaffhausen, TCL Electronics, Tiffany & Co., and others.
Celebrity Net Worth and other reporting place her overall net worth at an estimated $50 million as of early 2026, fueled by sponsorships, modeling contracts and her global profile — considerably higher than typical earnings for even elite winter sports competitors.
Beyond the Politics: Focus on the Sport
While debate over nationality and identity is unlikely to fade, Gu has consistently stressed that her focus is on skiing and inspiring young athletes across cultures — a message she reiterated this week amid fresh scrutiny.
As she heads into the halfpipe final Saturday with a chance to expand her medal tally to six Olympic medals, the question for Gu remains less about where she competes and more about how she continues to shape a career that defies simple categorization.
Eileen Gu Shrugs Off JD Vance’s Comment: ‘That’s Sweet’