Eileen Gu says her grandmother will be 'unfazed' watching her compete and told her that she can 'go be a doctor or a lawyer later'

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Eileen Gu says her grandmother will be 'unfazed' watching her compete and told her that she can 'go be a doctor or a lawyer later'
Eileen Gu has been one of the Beijing Games’ biggest stars.Reuters/Mike Blake
  • Eileen Gu's grandmother is set to watch her compete for the first time on Friday, news outlets said.
  • "She's going to be unfazed and unimpressed I think," Gu told reporters.
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Olympic medallist Eileen Gu may be one of the biggest stars of China's Winter Games, but her grandmother thinks she's "doing it for fun" and that she "can go be a doctor or a lawyer later."

"She's never watched me compete. I don't think she's ever watched me ski," the 18-year-old told reporters during a. series of interviews on Thursday, according to Reuters. "She's going to be unfazed and unimpressed, I think."

The American-born Gu said she was feeling "super honored" to be performing in front of her grandmother for the first time during Friday's half-pipe finals, according to the outlet.

She added, however, that her grandmother still doesn't take her skiing career too seriously. "She said, 'You're just doing it for fun. You can go be a doctor or lawyer later,'" Gu said, per Reuters.

"She'll want me to win for sure; she's very competitive. More than anything, she'll be like, 'Why's everyone crowded around you? What's the big deal?'" Gu said, according to news agency AFP.

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The Californian-born skier, who has earned two medals for China — one gold and one silver — has become one of the most talked-about names at the Games.

Beyond the slopes, she is also the face of at least 23 brands and is estimated to have raked in more than $31.4 million last year from brand endorsements alone.

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