Gu was born in San Francisco to an American father and a Chinese mother. She began learning how to ski at age three and went professional in 2020 at the age of 16.
Although she represented the US for most of her life, Gu chose in 2019 to represent China, where she's also known as Gu Ailing. However, she continues to live in the US.
In a June 2019 Instagram post, she explained her decision to compete for China, writing: "I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings."
"The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love," she continued.
She is slated to compete in three events at the Beijing Olympics: the women's freeski halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air.
Gu and her manager did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment for this story.