By Al Edwards 

At the last Winter Olympic Games, ski sensation Eileen Gu took the silver medal.

This time with the games in Livigno, Italy, Gu put in a sensational performance with 94.75 points to take home the gold medal in the halfpipe for China, the country she chose to represent.

Gu was up against the Brit  Zoe Atkin and Li Fanghui from China and came out on top.

Good-looking, talented, marketable, Eileen Gu is a phenomenal freestyle skier and has already won two golds for China in 2022.

Today she won her fifth Olympic medal. 

While it was a fantastic day for Eileen, it was also a sad one, with her Chinese grandmother, whom she was close to, passing away.

Eileen Gu, who is also a Stanford graduate, is American-born. Her mother is Chinese, her father American.

Her choosing to represent China has set off a firestorm with many Americans, including US Vice President JD Vance, accusing her of ‘being ungrateful’ for what America has given her.

But should this really be a problem? Her mother raised her as Chinese; she speaks the language and knows the customs. She made her choice. It shouldn’t be a big deal. She is a sensation in China. 

Eileen Gu says she has been harassed and received threats for her decision to represent China.

Many athletes choose to represent different countries they have a connection to. The Jamaican national football team has a heavy component of players born and raised in England with Jamaican heritage.

Eileen Gu must shrug off the criticism and keep performing, keep winning.

Now 22, she was born in San Francisco but chose to represent China internationally.

“ So many athletes compete for a different country…people only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China with this monolithic entity and they just hate China,” said Eileen Gu.

Eileen Gu is the most decorated free skier in history.