Eileen Gu poses powerfully with Faction skis sporting Red Bull gear
© Josh Edmonds / Red Bull Content Pool
Freeskiing

Cover-star Eileen Gu on fearing less and playing more

Freeski sensation Eileen Gu is gearing up for the biggest year of her career – and she’s on a mission to inspire young women. Here she shares a simple mindset shift that changed everything for her.
Written by Tom Ward
4 min readPublished on

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Eileen Gu

Born in the USA but representing China, freeski prodigy Eileen Gu made history in 2021 by winning three medals on her debut at the X Games.

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What do you do in your downtime? If you’re 22-year-old freeski phenom Eileen Gu, the answer might include studying at Stanford University, one of the world’s most elite academic institutions – and somehow still finding time for modelling and the occasional catwalk appearance.
On top of these extracurriculars, Gu is now also the face of the globally respected publication Time magazine – and one of the main characters in the series Winter Heroes.
In other words, Gu's kind of a big deal. The good news? She's only just getting started. A double threat in big air and halfpipe, Gu has been going strong since the age of three, carving out space for the next generation of girls in the sport along the way.
As she explains in an exclusive interview, visualisation and smart psychological tricks help her keep everything in balance. And it's paying off.
After becoming the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing history at age 18 in Beijing, where she won two golds in big air and halfpipe, along with a silver in sopestyle, she has been dominating the scene. This season began with her 20th career FIS Freeski World Cup win at the LAAX Open in Switzerland. Next up, she's lining up to defend her titles in Italy.
Here, she breaks down what competing on the world stage means to her and how she stays focused when times are tough.
Eileen Gu at the Laax Open in Laax, Switzerland on January 17, 2026.

Already a star, Eileen Gu has a massive 2026 freeski season ahead of her

© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool

What does it mean to you to compete in Italy?

Eileen Gu: It's a really special opportunity, not just because of the platform that the event itself provides, but also the opportunity to share it with so many athletes from other sports is really what the sporting spirit is about. It's about sportsmanship and sharing these moments of glory with other competitors who understand exactly what you're going through. It's a deeply bonding experience.

Eileen Gu performs at the Laax Open in Laax, Switzerland on January 17, 2026.

Victory at the LAAX Open handed Gu the record for most ever World Cup wins

© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool

There's no reason that any sport needs to be super serious. Honestly, just going out and having fun is literally the entire point
Eileen Gu

What's the best advice a coach has ever given you?

My high school cross-country coach, Corin, told me about the theory of appraisal. It's a psych theory that shows that the neuro-processes that you go through when you're nervous are actually the exact same ones that occur when you're excited. Your brain decides if it's a positive or a negative value. When I used to feel really nervous, she would say, 'You're not nervous, you're just excited'. That's really translated to any high pressure situation I've ever been in since then.

What role does education play in your life?

What's really important to me is the notion of balance. I never sacrificed my education. I think that it's worked to my advantage, massively so, when it comes to conceptualising tricks. The way that I visualise and understand physics of a trick, the way that I can break down psychology and even understand myself.

Learning to learn is the most important thing that an individual can do in life. Particularly when it comes to action sports, realising the importance that school can play in your sport is a message I hope to spread.

Eileen Gu performs at the Laax Open in Laax, Switzerland on January 17, 2026.

Halfpipe, big air, slopestyle: Gu is a world-beater in all three

© Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool

In Wanaka, New Zealand, Eileen Gu poses with her Faction skis and Red Bull cap, embracing adventure and style in this dynamic 2025 portrait

With two gold medals already, Gu is one of the faces of the winter season

© Josh Edmonds/Red Bull Content Pool

What's really important to young athletes who are just starting out?

To not be afraid to try. This is especially true of girls aged between the ages of 11 and 14, when you see numbers of female participation in sports drop around middle school. A big part of this is the sense that sport no longer belongs to you, that society or social expectations take away the fun. Suddenly there's this pressure, 'What if I mess up? What if I look stupid? What if I'm the only girl there?'

I would suggest taking up a new sport with your friends and doing it together. There's no reason that any sport needs to be super serious. Honestly, just going out and having fun is literally the entire point.

Part of this story

Eileen Gu

Born in the USA but representing China, freeski prodigy Eileen Gu made history in 2021 by winning three medals on her debut at the X Games.

ChinaChina
View Profile
Freeskiing
Skiing