IF you’re looking for the hottest star athlete of the Olympics, look no further than Eileen Gu.
Last year, Victoria’s Secret hired the 18-year-old freestyle skier to be the brand’s new face.
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Eileen Gu, 18, is the most talked about female skier of a generationCredit: Getty
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Gu has modeled in advertising campaigns for companies like Louis Vuitton.Credit: louisvuitton.com
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Vogue cover star Gu is the next big thing in sports and fashion.Credit: Vogue
She has ALREADY represented fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, Gucci, and Fendi in flashy ad campaigns.
It means his star has risen before he’s even competed in the Winter Olympics and he can reportedly collect around £2million in endorsement.
Incredibly, it was claimed that he earned £12m last year from sponsors.
California-born Gu, who caused controversy when she switched allegiance from Team USA to represent China at Beijing 2022, is also proving she has more than beauty on her side.
When the Games are over, he will head straight to America’s top university, Stanford.
Here’s why experts predict he could be the ‘Tony Hawk of China’s winter sports’.
And she is still the girl of the ski world.
controversial choice
Born and raised in San Francisco, Gu was apparently destined to be the next prominent American athlete.
But, a change of heart saw her switch her allegiance to China’s fierce political rivals. She couldn’t come at a worse time, having just conquered her first World Cup dressed in red, white and blue at the age of 15.
“I have decided to compete for China at the 2022 Winter Olympics,” he wrote on Twitter.
He explained that he made his decision thinking of his Chinese-born mother, Yan.
Gu continued, “The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mother was born, during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help promote the sport I love.”
The backlash he received for a decision came from all quarters, with many questioning why he would want to represent a country accused of abusing human rights and dealing with unfair trade policies.
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Gu chose to represent China in honor of his mother, YanCredit: Instagram @eileen_gu_
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The US team was furious that Gu switched allegiance to ChinaCredit: Getty
everything is ready
In recent years, Gu has been an advertiser’s dream.
Blessed with good looks and great talent, Red Bull, Cadillac and Beats by Dre headphones were desperate for her to endorse their products.
And as soon as she ‘defected’ to China, her popularity skyrocketed in the Far East on a much larger scale.
To date, he has amassed 23 other backers in his adopted homeland, including Bank of China, China Mobile and dairy giant Mengniu.
While he has also become a spokesperson for the coffee company Luckin’ Coffee, the equivalent of Starbucks.
It will reportedly take £2m for Gu to even consider introducing a product.
And last year, he is believed to have raked in a staggering £12m… all before he made a name for himself in the sport.
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Tiffany & Co have used Gu to model their products.Credit: Instagram @tiffanyandco
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Gu has been endorsed by French fashion house Louis VuittonCredit: Instagram @eileen_gu_
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In his adopted homeland, Gu appears on billboards and is said to be paid £2m in endorsement.Credit: Reuters
she is fashionable
At last year’s Paris Fashion Week, Gu was front row mingling with celebrities including Venus Williams and actress Stacy Martin for the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Spring/Summer 2022 show.
She was carrying a £3,000 clutch bag made by the French designer alongside her friends from showbiz, showing off every inch of the piece.
Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, Gucci and Fendi have lent her clothes to wear on the red carpet.
Victoria’s Secret, buoyed by the idea of adding diversity to its Angels, hired her as a model.
She has contracts with the international modeling agency IMG Models Worldwide, posed in lingerie for Harper’s Bazaar, and appeared on the cover of Vogue and Chinese Elle.
In September, Gu was a guest at the super fashion Met Gala, where she dazzled everyone in a Carolina Herrera bubble dress.
But, she didn’t skimp on her schoolwork.
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Harper’s Bazaar put Gu on the cover of their magazineCredit: Harper’s Bazaar
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Last year, Gu turned heads at the Met Gala in a Carolina Herrera bubble gown.Credit: Getty
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Blessed with stunning looks, Victoria’s Secret has hired Gu as a model.Credit: Instagram @eileen_gu_
brain box
Somehow, while juggling an elite sports career with being a fashion queen, Gu has also continued her education.
She attended a private school in the Bay Area and is incredibly academic.
The bright young woman scored a near perfect 1580 on the SAT, which led her to be accepted into the important American university of Stanford, where she will continue her studies.
The gold medal favorite is fluent in Mandarin and has been known to show off her intelligence to her fellow skiers.
“Eileen is incredibly smart and likes to make skiers feel silly,” former coach Peter Olenick told the NY Post.
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Brainy Gu has been accepted to Stanford UniversityCredit: Instagram/eileen_gu_
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It has been said that Gu taunts his rivals with his intelligence.Credit: Getty
“She uses bigger words than they do. She talks about things that go beyond skiing and hanging out. She throws chemistry stuff at them.”
You can imagine that if he is successful in Beijing, Gu will not talk about science.
And it could leave your competitors feeling foolish, if you knock them off the tracks as expected.
Source: www.the-sun.com