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Eileen Gu, the American-born Olympic skier who chose to represent Team China at the Winter Games, was honored at Chinese New Year celebrations in San Francisco on Saturday.
Gu was the grand marshal of the parade and expressed in an interview before the festivities what the honor meant to her.
“It’s something special to be Grand Marshal and be a part of it,” he told KGO-TV.
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Olympic gold medalist and grand marshal Eileen Gu salutes during the Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Gu recalled attending the parade with her family when she was younger and the times her mother and grandmother cooked in the kitchen.
The three-time gold medalist told the station she was focusing on making a bigger impact around the world.
“My biggest goal has always been to make the greatest positive impact possible on the global stage,” he said. “Right now, that takes the form of sports, fashion and education.”
Gu came under fire during the Olympics and received criticism for challenging the chance to compete for Team USA and represent the nation of her birth.
She reflected on the decision last week.
“I gave my first speech about women in sports and Title IX when I was 11. I talked about being the only girl on my ski team and, despite attending an all-girls school Monday through Friday, becoming best friends with my teammates on the weekends through the common language of the sport,” Gu wrote on Instagram.
Eileen Gu waves to the crowd during the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Gu went on to express his gratitude for the only season in which he competed for the US.
“When I was 15 years old, I announced my decision to compete for China. At that time, I had spent a season on Team USA and had been fortunate enough to meet my heroes in person. I will always be grateful for that season and continue to maintain a close relationship with the team. I had spent every summer in China since I was 8 years old hosting summer camps on trampolines and dry slopes for children and adults, ages 7 to 47, so I knew that the industry was small. I felt like I knew everyone,” he added.
“Skiing for Team China meant the opportunity to encourage others through the universal culture of the sport and to introduce freeskiing to hundreds of millions of people who had never heard of it, especially now that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are just around the corner.”
Gu’s statement concluded by acknowledging that certain people “don’t understand” his decision to run for China instead of the United States, while insisting that the choice maximized the impact it would have.
“I can look back now at 22 years old and tell 12-year-old Eileen that there are now parks full of little girls, who will never doubt their place in the sport. I can tell 15-year-old me that there are now millions of girls who have taken up skiing since then, in China and around the world,” Gu wrote.
Sick gold medalist Eileen Gu of the People’s Republic of China celebrates during the medal ceremony in the women’s ski halfpipe during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Livigno Snow Park on February 22, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Image Images)
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“Many people will not understand or believe that I made the decision to create as much positive impact as possible on the world stage, at this age, given my interests and passions. Three golds and six medals later, I can safely say that what was once a dream is now a reality.”
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