It’s hard for athletes—particularly
Olympic athletes—to transcend
their sport. Eileen Gu is an excep-
tion to that rule. I’m not sure I’ve
ever seen anybody more disci-
plined, driven, or determined than
Eileen. And hard work pays off.
The summer before the Beijing
Olympics, Eileen reached out to me
for advice. She was struggling with
the pressure of the buildup to the
Games and grappling with her new-
found fame. But mostly she was
just trying to maintain friendships
with the girls she grew up with. It’s
easy to forget that despite winning
three Olympic medals, gracing the
covers of countless magazines,
and fronting global campaigns
for luxury brands like Fendi and
Gucci, she’s still just a normal teen-
ager who loves to ski and is excited
for college—but doesn’t want
to lose touch with her childhood
friends. That heart is what makes
her so special.
In the months since that
conversation, she’s proven herself
to be one of the greatest female
freeskiers of all time, amassed
an online follower count in the mil-
lions, and inspired a new genera-
tion of girls—especially Chinese
and Chinese American girls—to
venture into the male-dominated
world of action sports. Eileen has
done all of that with grace, poise,
and thoughtfulness rarely found in
someone her age.Kenworthy is an actor and
an Olympic silver medalist
in slopestyle skiingEileen Gu
Rising role model
BY GUS KENWORTHY