Ailing (Eileen) Gu: "My mission is to use sport as a force for unity"

"My mission is to use sport as a force for unity."

Ailing (Eileen) Gu is a force to be reckoned with. The 18-year-old freestyle skiing prodigy from the People's Republic of China claimed the gold medal in the women's freeski big air on Tuesday, but that's just one part of her story at these Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Gu stands for something far more significant than strictly sporting success. Her athleticism, skill, technique, and bravery to execute a 1620 on her final run to claim the win, should no doubt be praised, but the message she carries with her - and again, it cannot be stressed enough - as an 18-year-old, is remarkable and pertinent: sport can bring cultures together; not divide them.

Gu was born in San Francisco, USA, but elected to represent China, the place of her mother Yan Gu's birth.

"I feel just as American as I am Chinese,” she told reporters after winning Olympic gold in her first Games event. "I grew up spending 25 to 30 per cent of every year in China. Actually, the tower here I can see from my house in Beijing."

Gu announced her decision to represent the hosts back in 2019.

"The opportunity to 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. Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations. If I can help inspire a young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true."

Speaking to The Guardian after her gold-medal win, she said: "I know I have a good heart. And I know my reasons for making the decisions I do. They are based on something I feel like is for the greater good."

"I’m not going to waste my time trying to placate people who are uneducated, and don’t experience the gratitude and love I have on a daily basis."

“If they don’t believe me, and if people don’t like me, that is their loss: they are never going to win the Olympics," she added.

MORE: Ailing (Eileen) Gu: The importance of representing China at Beijing 2022

There's no doubt that Gu has already accomplished many of her goals through her stunning performance in the women's big air competition. And there's plenty more to come from her, too.

Next up on her agenda will be the women's freeski slopestyle qualifiers on Sunday 13 February at 10:00 Beijing time in Zhangjiakou, with the finals the next day starting at 9:30. She will be competing in the women's freeski halfpipe qualifiers, which are scheduled for Thursday 17 February at 9:30 Beijing time, with the finals the next day beginning at 9:30.

MORE: Five things you didn't know about Eileen Gu

Other athletes breaking cultural barriers at Beijing 2022

Samuel Ikpefan, Richardson Viano, and Yohan Goutt-Gonçalves are all doing something extremely important for the visibility of winter sport in Nigeria, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste respectively. The former two athletes are the first Winter Olympians to represent their nations. Ever. Goutt-Gonçalves competed in Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018.

Ikpefan gave up a potential career as a footballer to pursue cross-country skiing. Someone who had practised wheel-skiing and roller-skiing in the thick of summer has now paved a new path for youngsters across Nigeria to dream.

MORE: Samuel Ikpefan: From the French Alps to representing Nigeria at Beijing 2022

Viano is doing the same thing for Haiti. Adopted by an Italian family living in France, Viano had skis on his feet by the time he was three-years-old.

By the time he was 15 or 16, he realised it would not be feasible for him to represent France at the Winter Olympics, and that's when the door opened for him to "reconnect with my country of origin", and here he is in Beijing, carrying his birth country's flag in front of the watching world.

MORE: Haiti's first Winter Olympian Richardson Viano seeks to inspire