You may have heard her name by now, thanks to all the buzz surrounding the recent 2026 Winter Olympics. You may even be fully invested in all the social back-and-forths about participating for Team China. But for those who are saying, “Eileen who?” This refresher for the young, talented athlete is for you.
Born in San Francisco to a Chinese immigrant mom and an American dad, Eileen—or Gu Ailing, as she’s known in China—grew up fluent in both Mandarin and English, spending summers soaking up Beijing vibes. This bicultural upbringing is a huge part of her superpower, blending East and West seamlessly. She started shredding the slopes near Lake Tahoe at only age three, and beyond her insane athletic talent, she’s also a brainiac, rocking a near-perfect SAT score and currently hitting the books at Stanford. And then there’s her modelling contract with IMG, plus being featured in Forbes’ “30 Under 30”; she’s perhaps the definition of a multi-hyphenate.
Fast forward to the recent 2026 Winter Olympics, and Eileen didn’t just show up. She owned it. She clinched a silver medal in freeski slopestyle, demonstrating a level of skill and composure in Freestyle Skiing that had everyone talking. At just 22 years old, she took time off from her studies to prepare, showing that dedication pays off big time.
Eileen Gu represents being more than an athlete; she’s a cultural force, bridging worlds, breaking records, and inspiring a whole new wave of young people to chase their dreams, whether on skis or in the classroom. She’s everything RADII is about: bold, boundary-pushing, and undeniably fresh.
Learn more about Eileen Gu while seeing her in action in the Olympics’ official profile piece below:
Cover image via People.com.
