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Chinese Olympic star Eileen Gu hits back at JD Vance after the Vice President criticized her for not representing the U.S.
Eileen Gu has fired back at Vice President JD Vance after he questioned her decision to compete for China instead of the United States.
The 22-year-old freestyle skiing superstar has been on a roll at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, qualifying in the halfpipe and advancing to the finals on February 21, where she claimed gold.
With five Olympic medals to her name, Gu is now the most decorated female freeskier in Olympic history. However, her latest victory has sparked a political debate back home.
JD Vance Questions Gu's Allegiance
Vance weighed in on Gu’s nationality during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday (February 17), suggesting that athletes born and raised in the United States should represent Team USA.
“I certainly think that somebody who grew up in the United States of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope that they want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance said.
“So, I’m going to root for American athletes, and I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I’m rooting for this Olympics," he added.
Asked specifically about Gu, Vance said he had “no idea what her status should be” and that it “was up to the Olympic committee”.
Gu Responds To Vance
The freestyle skier, who was born in San Francisco to Yan Gu, a first-generation Chinese immigrant, and an American father, switched to represent China in 2019. She has declined to publicly confirm her citizenship status.
The Olympic charter states that “a national of two or more countries at the same time may represent either one of them,” though China does not permit dual citizenship, per The Guardian.
After a qualifying run, reporters asked Gu whether she felt like a “punching bag” in American politics.
“I do,” she responded. “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. So it's not really about what they think it's about.”
She added: “And also, because I win. Like if I wasn't doing well, I think that they probably wouldn't care as much, and that's OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions.”
In a separate conversation with USA TODAY, Gu brushed off Vance’s remarks with a short but pointed response: “I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet.”
She also made clear she wasn’t offended by the vice president’s comments.
Gu, who has won two golds and a silver for China at the Beijing 2022 Games, has repeatedly said her motivation goes beyond politics: “I have said, I do what I do because I want to inspire the next generation of young women. I’ve said this since I was 10," per Australia’s ABC Sport.
"No one was paying me when I was 10. No country wanted me to ski for them when I was 10. I’ve had the same principle since I was literally prepubescent. And so if people don’t believe me, at a certain point, that’s just on them,” she said.
The gold medalist said the Olympics is about "bringing people together," and using sport "as a spirit of communication," adding: "If they want to focus on the wrong things, they just have a sad little life.”
Ahead of the Winter Games, the 22-year-old told Time magazine that “the US already has the representation,” and “I like building my own pond.”
And in 2022, she said she felt “just as American as I am Chinese”.