Winter Olympics: Eileen Gu’s chasing more gold, but expects Chinese granny to ask ‘what’s the big deal?’
- Teenager has become the face of the Games and will be favourite to win the half-pipe finals on Friday
- Gu says her grandmother ‘still hasn’t accepted that I’m a professional skier’
Eileen Gu has become the face of the Beijing Olympics but she thinks her grandmother will be “unfazed and unimpressed” by the attention when she watches her Californian-born granddaughter compete for China on Friday.
Gu effortlessly topped freeski half-pipe qualification on Thursday and will compete in the final in front of her Chinese grandmother for the first time as she chases her third medal of the Games.
The 18-year-old, who in 2019 switched from representing the US to China, has already won one gold and one silver in Beijing and has become one of the biggest stars of the Games.
But she said her grandmother is unlikely to be moved by the massive attention and would probably be asking “what’s the big deal?”
“She’s tiny but she’s so energetic, so happy all the time, the most positive force,” Gu said. “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?’”
Still, the teen said she will be “super honoured” to compete in front of her on Friday after booking her place in the final with a dominant performance in qualifying.
Gu set the standard with a first-run score of 93.75 before bettering it with 95.50 on her second attempt.