Eileen Gu Defends Silver Medal Wins at Milan Cortina Games

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Controversial Olympian Eileen Gu, who competes for China despite growing up in the United States, has gone viral this week for her response to a reporter who asked if she saw her two silver medal wins at the Milan Cortina Games as "two silvers gained or two golds lost." Gu openly laughed at the question before saying "I'm the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that's an answer in and of itself." She added that "winning a medal at the Olympics is a life changing experience for every athlete" and that the "two medals lost" perspective is "a ridiculous one to take."

Why it matters

Gu's decision to compete for China despite her American upbringing has been controversial, and she has faced backlash on her college campus at Stanford University as well as death threats. This viral interview moment highlights Gu's poise under pressure and her defense of her accomplishments, which include becoming the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic history.

The details

In the now-viral clip, Gu openly laughs at the reporter's question before saying, "I'm the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that's an answer in and of itself." She then goes on to say "winning a medal at the Olympics is a life changing experience for every athlete," adding "the 'two medals lost' situation, to be quite frank with you, is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take." Gu said that she was not only showcasing her best skiing at the Milan Cortina Games, where she has won silver medals in Big Air and Slopestyle events, but is "doing things that have quite literally never been done before, and I think that is more than good enough."

• Gu won silver medals in the Big Air and Slopestyle events at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

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