US-born Olympic freeskier Eileen Gu dodges questions about citizenship after winning gold for China

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Eileen Gu, the U.S.-born freeskier representing China in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, dodged questions about her citizenship on Tuesday after winning gold in the women's freestyle skiing big air event.

The 18-year-old Olympian, born in San Francisco, was asked several times by reporters during a press conference if she had relinquished her U.S. citizenship to compete for China. Her response, each time, avoided a direct answer. 

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"I’ve always been super outspoken about my gratitude to the U.S., especially the U.S. team," she said, via Sports Illustrated. "I feel as though they've helped me out so much in my development, they continue to support me. And same with the Chinese team. They've always been super supportive and they've helped me so much. And so in that sense, I think that that speaks volumes to the ability of sport to bridge the gap and to be a force for unity."

Gold medallist Eileen Gu of Team China celebrates with their medal during the Women's Freestyle Skiing Freeski Big Air medal ceremony on Day 4 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Beijing Medal Plaza on February 08, 2022 in Beijing, China.  (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

When pressed again, Gu gave another evasive answer.

"First of all, I'm an 18-year old girl. I'm a kid. I haven't even gone to college yet. I'm a pretty normal person … If people don't have a good heart, they won't believe me, because they can't empathize with people who do have a good heart. And so in that sense, I feel as though it's a lot easier to block out the hate now. And also, they're never going to know what it feels like to win an Olympic gold