History of Eileen Gu in Timeline

Eileen Feng Gu, or Gu Ailing, is a freestyle skier who represents China in international competitions. Born in the United States, she switched allegiances in 2019 and has since competed for China in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events. Gu is a prominent figure in the world of freestyle skiing.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2002: Death of Gu Ling

In 2002, a year before Eileen Gu was born, Gu Yan's sister Gu Ling died in a car crash. Gu's mother decided to name her "Ailing" in her sister's honor.

September 3, 2003: Eileen Gu's Birth

On September 3, 2003, Eileen Feng Gu, also known as Gu Ailing, was born. She is a freestyle skier who competes for China.

Others born on this day/year

2018: Competed for the United States

Eileen Gu competed for the United States at the 2018-19 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup.

2018: Brad Prosser became technical coach guide

In 2018, Brad Prosser became the technical coach guide to the Chinese national team for the 2022 Winter Olympics after meeting Eileen Gu when she was ten.

June 2019: Change of Nation to China

In June 2019, Eileen Gu began competing for China after requesting a change of nation with the International Ski Federation. Her goal was to compete for China in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

2019: Started competing for China

In 2019, Eileen Gu started competing for China in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events, representing China internationally.

December 2020: Early admittance to Stanford University

In December 2020, Eileen Gu earned early admittance to Stanford University, her mother's alma mater.

2020: Chinese Ministry of Justice Broadened Rules

In 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Justice broadened rules for foreigners, allowing people that achieved international recognition in sport, science, culture and other fields to obtain permanent residency.

2021: 2021 Winter X Games

At the 2021 Winter X Games, Eileen Gu won a bronze medal in Big Air and two gold medals in SuperPipe and Slopestyle. She became the first rookie to win a gold medal in Women's Ski SuperPipe, the first rookie to medal in three events, and the first athlete representing China to win a gold medal at the X Games.

2021: FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2021

At the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2021, Eileen Gu won two gold medals in Freeski Halfpipe and Freeski Slopestyle, and a bronze medal in Freeski Big Air. She became the first freeskier to win two golds at the FIS Freeski World Championship. She competed without poles for the first time due to a broken hand.

2021: Spoke out against anti-Asian racism

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, after the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings and the killing of Vicha Ratanapakdee, Eileen Gu spoke out against anti-Asian racism.

2021: World Cup Season

Eileen Gu concluded the 2021-22 World Cup season with a perfect record in women's halfpipe. She secured her first career crystal globe and became the first freestyle skier to win four consecutive World Cup competitions during the same season.

2021: First woman to land a forward double cork 1440

In 2021, Eileen Gu became the first woman to land a forward double cork 1440 in competition history.

2021: Described identity when in the US and China

In a 2021 interview with ESPN, Eileen Gu stated that when she is in the U.S., she considers herself American, and when she is in China, she identifies as Chinese.

2021: Endorsement earnings in 2021

It was reported that in 2021, Eileen Gu earned over US$30 million in endorsements and advertising contracts alone.

January 2022: First attempt and landing of a Double Cork 1620 at the Olympics

In January 2022, during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Eileen Gu landed a double cork 1620, her first attempt in competition. She landed it again in her first run of the big air final at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

February 2022: Results current through February 2022

The results are current through 1 February 2022.

May 2022: Mentioned Conversion to Buddhism

In May 2022, Eileen Gu mentioned that she had converted to Buddhism.

May 2022: Referred to herself as an Asian American

In May 2022, Eileen Gu referred to herself as an Asian American.

2022: Average Fee Per Endorsement Increased

According to media reports, in 2022 Eileen Gu's average fee per endorsement increased from $1 million in 2021 to $2 to $2.5 million.

2022: 2022 Winter Olympics coaches

For the 2022 Winter Olympics, Jamie Melton was the head coach of the Chinese National Slopestyle and Big Air Training Team. Misra Noto Torniainen was Eileen Gu's personal coach.

2022: Entered Stanford and Debutante Ball

In 2022, Eileen Gu entered the freshman class at Stanford University. In the same year, she was presented as a debutante at Le Bal des débutantes in Paris.

2022: Medals and Awards at the Olympics and ESPY

In 2022, Eileen Gu won a silver medal in the slopestyle event at the Winter Olympics. She also won a second gold medal in the women's freeski halfpipe competition, becoming the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a Winter Olympics. She was awarded the Best Breakthrough Athlete and Best Female Action Sports Athlete ESPY Awards at the 2022 ESPY Awards.

2022: Named one of Time's 100 most influential people

In 2022, Time named Eileen Gu as one of the 100 most influential people in the world under its Pioneers category.

2022: Goal to compete for China in the Olympics

In June 2019 Eileen Gu changed nation to compete for China in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

2023: Forbes listed as second-highest earning female athlete

In 2023, Forbes listed Eileen Gu as the second-highest earning female athlete in the world.

2023: Second-highest paid female athlete

In 2023, Forbes listed Eileen Gu as the second-highest paid female athlete in the world.

January 2024: Plan to Represent China at the 2026 Winter Olympics

In January 2024, Eileen Gu said that she planned to represent China at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

2024: 2024 Winter X Games

At the 2024 Winter X Games, Eileen Gu won gold in SuperPipe despite injuring her right hip during Slopestyle training. She wrote "Pain is Temporary" on her hand and showed it to the cameras. She did not participate in Slopestyle due to the pain.

2024: Third highest paid female athlete

In 2024, Eileen Gu was the world’s third highest paid female athlete.

February 2025: Beijing city government document on training spending

In February 2025, the Beijing city government released a document about spending US$6.64 million for the training of Eileen Gu and fellow US-born athlete Zhu Yi, though later their names were removed from the document and articles on the topic were censored on several Chinese websites.