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Meet Eileen Gu, the teenage freeskier and Louis Vuitton model who chose to represent China over the US at the Beijing Winter Olympicshttps://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/meet-eileen-gu-the-teenage-freeskier-and-louis-vuitton-model-who-chose-to-represent-china-over-the-us-at-the-beijing-winter-olympics/slidelist/89405217.cms2022-02-07T16:22:01+05:30

Meet Eileen Gu, the teenage freeskier and Louis Vuitton model who chose to represent China over the US at the Beijing Winter Olympics

Marielle DescalsotaFeb 7, 2022, 16:22 IST

Eileen Gu is a freestyle skier representing China at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Gu was the first woman to land a double cork 1440, a freestyle skiing trick that incorporates four full 360s and two off-axis rotations in the air.

As her popularity grows, so do her endorsements: Gu has more than 20 sponsorship deals in China alone, according to Campaign Asia.

Gu is also a model who has worked with numerous fashion houses.

A post shared by Eileen Gu (@eileen_gu_)

Gu is the "hottest name in luxury," as Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post put it.

The teen has starred in campaigns for luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, and Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, per SCMP.

Gu has also made appearances on the covers of magazines like L'Officiel, Vogue, and Elle, her Instagram shows.

Gu is also a star student: She scored 1580 on her SATs, which ranks her among the 99th percentile of students in the US, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A post shared by Eileen Gu (@eileen_gu_)

She was the first student to graduate a year ahead at the San Francisco University High School, a private school that charges $54,130 annually, per The New York Times.

She later received an offer from Stanford University, and is slated to graduate with the class of 2026.

Gu is bilingual — aside from English, she is also fluent in Mandarin, which she learned from spending her summers in Beijing. Some of her hobbies growing up included horseback riding, rock climbing, and cross-country running, according to the official Olympics website.

Her mother Yan has multiple degrees and works as a venture capitalist in China.

A post shared by Eileen Gu (@eileen_gu_)

Before Gu's mother moved to the US, she studied chemistry and biochemistry at Peking University. She then completed a master's degree at Auburn University, followed by further studies at Rockefeller University, and Stanford Graduate School of Business, her LinkedIn shows.

Gu's father, whom Gu does not speak about publicly, graduated from Harvard University, according to The New York Times.

Gu had a privileged upbringing, growing up in San Francisco's high-end Sea Cliff neighborhood, The Times reported.