Eileen Gu, the controversial Winter Olympics skier, has once again stirred up discussion among her fans, this time by firmly responding to a reporter’s question about her recent performance, where she did not secure a gold medal.

At 22, Gu has recently added two silver medals from Italy to her impressive collection, which already includes two golds and a silver from the 2022 Games. Despite widespread expectations that she would have clinched gold by now, her total of five medals has positioned her as the most accomplished women’s freestyle skiing Olympian in history.

When faced with the reporter’s question, Gu initially chuckled before responding, “I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that speaks for itself.” She elaborated on the significance of her achievements, saying, “Winning an Olympic medal is a transformative experience for any athlete. Achieving this five times is exponentially more challenging because while each medal is equally difficult for me, the expectations of others continue to grow.”

Gu added, “So, viewing it as a situation of losing two medals seems, quite frankly, a bit of a misguided perspective.” Her response underscores the complexity and pressure that come with maintaining such a high level of performance on the world stage.

‘How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder because every medal is equally hard for me but everybody else’s expectations rise, right?

Eileen Gu poses with her silver medal in Italy, the fifth medal of her career at Winter Olympics 

‘So the two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take. 

‘I’m showcasing my best skiing, I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before so I think that is more than good enough. But thank you.’

Gu’s response split the internet, with her fans loving her answer but others thinking that she came across as sanctimonious.

‘Great response to a ridiculous question. Eileen is poised and mature beyond her age,’ one fan posted.

Another said in agreement: ‘Such an excellent answer to such a horrible question. 

‘These journalists try to frame incredible achievements as “failure” without having an ounce of understanding of what it takes to be even on a stage where “failure” is a possibility.’

But a more critical perspective read: ‘Actually, it was a good question. Because she’s the most decorated freestyle skier, he wanted to know how she feels about not winning gold. 

‘She answered it, but she could do it without trying to belittle him. There’s a lot of poor journalism out there, but this was not it.’

Eileen Gu attends Victoria’s Secret’s celebration of The Tour ’23 at Hammerstein Ballroom on September 06, 2023 in New York City (left) and at the tenth Breakthrough Prize ceremony held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California

Another fan said: ‘It was a simple question for her perspective but she took it defensively and acted embarrassingly arrogant and a narcissist. Not a good look.’

A different Olympics fan suggested: ‘I don’t see the question as insulting (I don’t know what his intention was) but it is common for high performing people to regard a silver or second place as a failure.

‘I think the question is probably aimed at eliciting how she thinks. Nothing more.’

It comes amid intensifying scrutiny on Gu throughout the Games for her decision to represent China. 

She was born and raised in San Francisco – the daughter of a first-generation Chinese immigrant mother and an American father. She is also a Stanford University student.

Earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance took a swipe at Gu in an interview on Fox, saying: ‘Somebody who grew up in the United States of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope they would want to compete with the United States of America.

Gu, 22, has one more opportunity to win a medal in the halfpipe later this week at the Games

‘So, I will root for American athletes and I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I am rooting for this Olympics.’

Gu has one more shot at getting a medal later this week in the women’s halfpipe event. 

Qualifying takes place Thursday, with the final then being held on Saturday.