‘What have you done?’ China champion skier Eileen Gu hits back at critics, cites 39 medals

Gu has bagged a haul of 39 medals in a glittering career spanning several years. - Baidu

BEIJING: Champion skier Eileen Gu has hit back at critics who say she is not fully committed to China by citing the 39 medals she has won for the country over the past five years.

Born in San Francisco in the United States, the 20-year-old freestyle skier, who originally held US citizenship, announced in June 2019 that she had become a Chinese citizen and that she would represent China in future competitions.

The decision marked the beginning of the long-lasting controversy.

The most recent controversy Gu was caught up in involved her private life in Paris. - AFP

At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Gu made history by securing two golds and one silver medal for China.

However, she has come under fire from Chinese netizens who have accused her of being “unpatriotic” and labelled her “two-faced”.

In an Instagram post where Gu shared her performance at the 2023 World Cup in Calgary, Canada, she was accused of deliberately obscuring the nationality of Chinese skier Zhang Kexin with text and emojis.

This was seen as downplaying Zhang’s achievements and promoting herself as the only top skier in China.

Gu even cropped medalist Zhang out of a celebration photo of winners she posted.

In March, when Gu visited the White House she shared photos of herself with US Vice President Kamala Harris on her Instagram account, but not on Chinese social media platforms.

This fuelled accusations that she was “two-faced”.

Then, earlier this month, as the Paris Olympics concluded, rumours surfaced about Gu’s intimate public interactions with French Olympic swimming champion Leon Marchand in a Paris nightclub.

This came after Gu had deleted her photos with him on Instagram following backlash from Chinese netizens when Marchand appeared to ignore a handshake request from Zhu Zhigen, the coach of Chinese bronze medalist Wang Shun.

Marchand clinched four golds and a bronze in Paris, becoming the first swimmer since US legend Michael Phelps to win four individual golds at a single Olympics.

Gu’s public distancing from Marchand while maintaining private and intimate interactions with the swimmer has been decried as “hypocritical” and “self-serving behaviour”.

On Weibo, sports commentator Li Pingkang said: “There’s nothing wrong with commenting, knowing, or even being friends with someone, but immediately distancing yourself when it might cause controversy proves that she is opportunistic and utilitarian.”

As controversy raged, Gu responded to her critics by posting a video on Douyin on August 21 that highlighted her achievements.

She said: “In the past five years, I’ve represented China in 41 international competitions and have won 39 medals for China.

“I have also introduced three chief coaches and donated freestyle skis to the national team, and continually advocated for China and women on the global stage.”

She then challenged her critics and haters, asking: “What have you done for the country?”

In the caption for the video, Gu further encouraged her followers: “Be the best version of yourself and make the world a better place. If you haters are in such a bad mood, why not go out for a run?”

The video quickly gained attention on mainland social media, with the hashtag “Eileen Gu directly confronts haters” trending on Weibo and attracting almost 90 million viewers at the time of writing.

However, public opinion was sharply divided.

“I really don’t understand the hate against her, she’s such a positive role model,” said one person.

“I don’t get why people are so full of malice towards her. Why don’t you try winning a championship?” another said.

But some people disagreed: “Even as someone who’s not a hater, I find her words off-putting.

“Is she implying that Chinese people who don’t win medals haven’t contributed to the country? The billions of taxpayers haven’t contributed? Just because you won a gold medal, you’re the only one who has contributed?” said one such person.

While another added: “She only talks about her contributions, but why doesn’t she mention the benefits she’s received, how much money she has earned in China?

“She has earned billions in endorsements from the Chinese market. It’s all about money – she won gold for China, but she has also made a fortune from China. There’s no need to glorify it so much.” - South China Morning Post