Freestyle skiing-China's golden Gu dodges US passport question

BEIJING :San Francisco-born Eileen Gu, who lifted the host country to the top of the medals table at the Beijing Olympics with a freeski Big Air gold on Tuesday, remained evasive on whether she was still holding an American passport.

China does not allow dual nationality, and state media have previously reported that the 18-year-old renounced her U.S. citizenship after she became a Chinese national at the age of 15.

Gu would not confirm that on Tuesday.

"So I grew up spending 25-30per cent (of my time) in China. I'm fluent in Mandarin and English and fluent culturally in both," she answered, when asked if she was still an American citizen.

"So coming here, I really feel there was a sense of coming home. I feel just as American as Chinese. I don't feel I'm taking advantage of one or another. They understand that my mission is to foster a connection between countries and not a divisive force."

When the reporter asked again, the news conference moderator interjected: "Next question, please."

The fashion model and incoming Stanford University student whose Weibo following has ballooned to almost three million from just under two million on Monday, says she feels at home in China.

"There's like a tower here you can see from the top of the course. And I'm also seeing it from my house in Beijing," she explained, where her face is ubiquitous in advertising.

In 2019, China relaxed rules that had been in force for more than a decade barring national team athletes from taking part in commercial activities without approval, paving the way for Gu to become the face of Chinese brands from Bank of China and China Mobile to Mengniu Dairy and Luckin Coffee.

Hugely popular in China, Gu has had a better Olympics so far than Zhu Yi, the figure