Controversial Olympic Skier, Model Eileen Gu Makes Insane Amount of Money

The American-born gold-medalist skier who competes for China is the highest-paid athlete in the Winter Olympics.

February 11, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu sits courtside during the first quarter between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu of China successfully started her Winter Olympics out on Saturday. She’ll be one of the biggest names of the Games, and also the highest-paid athlete.

Now 22 years old, Gu, or Gu Ailing by her Chinese name, made history at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics at just 18, becoming the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing while earning gold medals in big air and halfpipe, along with a silver in slopestyle.

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Feb 18, 2022; Zhangjiakou, CHINA; Gold medalist Eileen Gu (CHN) celebrates during the medals ceremony for the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter. | Jack Gruber-Imagn Images

Gu off to a good start in Italy

She now takes her two gold medals into the Milano Cortina Games that she hopes to defend. She’s off to a good start after recovering from a fall in Slopestyle to make it to the finals.

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After a fall on her first run, Eileen Gu came up clutch on her second with a 75.30 to advance to the women's Slopestyle final. 👏 pic.twitter.com/hUYjTUjFrX

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 7, 2026

Gu was born in the United States

Gu was born in San Francisco, California, but elected to compete for China to honor her mom and “build her own pond” rather than join a competitive U.S. Ski Team. With the 2022 Games in China, she chose to represent it over the U.S.

She again chose to compete for China in 2026, which is why she’s considered controversial.

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Gu makes crazy amount of money

Gu, who goes to Stanford University, has a flourishing career in fashion, modeling for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co and has appeared on covers like Vogue.

In fact, she’s so successful she doesn’t even need to compete. She makes only $100k from her sport, but $23 million from over 20 long-term endorsements and modeling, making her the highest-paid winter sport athlete.

No doubt, she’ll continue to cause a stir in Italy both on and off the ski slopes.

Jul 26, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; Ailing Eileen Gu poses for a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower before the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. | James Lang-Imagn Images

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