American-born Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu claims she was assaulted at Stanford University after deciding against competing for Team USA in international competitions.
The 22-year-old, who has won a pair of silver medals at the ongoing Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, told The Athletic last week that her decision to compete for China angered many Americans, who saw her as disloyal.
‘Physically assaulted on the street,’ Gu told The Athletic. ‘The police were called.
‘I’ve had death threats,’ she added. ‘I’ve had my dorm robbed.’
She also claimed a petition, started by the parents of Chinese-American students, was launched to keep her out of the school.
Gu, whose mother is from China, enrolled at Stanford in the fall of 2022.
Silver medalist Ailing Eileen Gu of Team People’s Republic of China poses for a photo
Gu is seen competing in the Big Air competition, where she ultimately finished in second
The Daily Mail has sought further comment from Stanford police and school spokespeople, who referred the request to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. The Athletic, meanwhile, did not hear back from Stanford’s public safety office.
A Stanford spokesperson also released a statement to the Daily Mail, although not specifically about Gu.
‘Stanford University’s top priority is the safety and well-being of every member of our community,’ the statement began. ‘Our dedicated Department of Public Safety (DPS) is committed to creating a safe and secure environment for everyone on campus. In addition to DPS, students have multiple mechanisms through which they can report incidents of concern and receive support from the university.
‘We take pride in the rich diversity of perspectives that thrive here and actively promote and protect the free and open exchange of ideas.’
Gu has explained her decision, both to the Athletic and on social media, by pointing to her following in China.
‘In the US growing up, I had so many idols to look up to,’ she told The Athletic. ‘But in China, I feel like there are a lot fewer of those. I’d have a much greater impact in China than in the US, and that’s ultimately why I made my decision.’
And that following has paid dividends for Gu, who has earned more than $23 million in endorsement deals, according to Forbes.
But that success has not shielded Gu from criticism. Most recently, Vice President JD Vance swiped at her for her decision to compete for China.
Gu claimed her fifth career medal Monday night in Livigno, taking silver in the Big Air event
Vance was asked on Fox News Tuesday whether Gu’s ‘status’ should be changed amid criticism over her decision to compete for a regime infamous for its human rights abuses and open hostility toward the US.
Vance declined to comment but said that he would not be supporting Gu, who was born and raised in San Francisco – the daughter of a first-generation Chinese immigrant mother and an American father.
‘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 they would want to compete with the United States of America,’ the Vice President said.
‘So, I will root for American athletes and I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I am rooting for this Olympics.’
She has also been criticized by Turkish-born US citizen and former NBA star, Enes Kanter Freedom.
‘I’m just going to say it, she’s a traitor,’ Kanter said during an interview with Fox News.
Skiing star Eileen Gu has been branded a ‘traitor’ for snubbing USA to compete for China
Enes Kanter Freedom accused Gu of choosing to represent ‘the worst human rights abuser’
JD Vance was asked if US-born Chinese Olympian Eileen Gu’s ‘status’ should be reviewed
‘She was born in America. She was raised in America, lives in America, and chooses to compete against her own country for, literally, the worst human rights abuser on the planet, China.
‘She built her fame in a free country, and then chooses to represent an authoritarian regime.’
Gu claimed her fifth career medal Monday night in Livigno, taking silver in the Big Air event to the delight of her adoring Chinese fans, who call her ‘the Snow Princess.’
The medal carried greater weight as it was won on Chinese New Year, a coincidence celebrated widely across Beijing’s state media.
That followed another silver Gu secured on February 9 in the Slopestyle final, where she was narrowly pipped for gold by Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud.
