American-born skier Eileen Gu won her second gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday while competing for China, making her the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Games.
Gu won gold in the halfpipe final on Friday with a score of 95.25 on her second run, adding to her gold from the freestyle event last week and the silver she collected in slopestyle on Tuesday. Gu has won more medals for China than anyone else at the Beijing Olympics.
“It has been two straight weeks of the most intense highs and lows I’ve ever experienced in my life. It has changed my life forever,” she said after winning her second gold.
Cassie Sharpe and Rachael Karker, both Canadians, rounded out the podium.
Gu was born in San Francisco but has chosen to compete for China, her mother’s native country. The decision has drawn criticism from many Americans who say it is unconscionable to represent China, given the country’s various human rights abuses, including the genocide it’s committing against Uyghur Muslims.
“One thing I love so much about freeskiing is this camaraderie and this spirit of support in which it’s not about what country you’re skiing for, it’s about our shared passion for the sport and this unique ability for this extreme sport to unite people because we’re not here to break limits for a country, we’re here to break the human limit,” Gu said.
“It’s not about nationality, it’s about bringing people together. It’s about sharing culture. It’s about learning from each other and forging friendships,” she added.
The win comes one day after Gu defended her decision to compete for China at the Olympics despite China’s human rights abuses, saying she is “not trying to solve political problems right now.”
“People sometimes don’t know what to do with other people when they’re not fitting in a box,” she told reporters after the qualifying round in the ski halfpipe. “They say, ‘Is she Chinese? Is she American? Is she a model? Is she a student? Why is she trying to change the world when she’s only 18?’”
Gu has avoided questions about her citizenship since winning gold; China does not allow dual citizenship, raising questions over whether the 18-year-old relinquished her American citizenship to compete for China. Chinese state media has reported that Gu became a Chinese national three years ago.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has criticized the 18-year-old skier, accusing her of “standing for human rights abuses.”
“In terms of the citizenship, look, China or the U.S.? You have got to pick a side. Period,” asserted Haley in an interview with Real Clear Politics. “You’ve got to pick a side because you’re either American or you’re Chinese, and they are two very different countries… Every athlete needs to know when they put their flag on, you’re standing for freedom or you’re standing for human rights abuses. There is no in-between.”
Source: National Review
