Born on September 3, 2003, Eileen Gu is a professional skier who has been representing China since 2019. At the age of 18, she clinched three Olympic medals in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which included two gold medals and one silver medal. With the win, she became the youngest Olympic winner in freestyle, along with winning three medals in her maiden Olympics. Before suffering a knee injury, she won a gold medal at the 2024 Winter X Games held in Aspen. Gu claimed three medals at the 2021 Winter X Games in the superpipe, big air and slopestyle categories.
Gu also won three medals: one bronze and two golds in the 2021 World Championships, again held in Aspen. She holds the record of four consecutive victories at the World Cup. At the 2021-22 World Cup, she took home her first crystal globe with a perfect score in the halfpipe category. Gu won one silver medal and two gold medals at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, held in Lausanne. According to the International Ski Federation, she reached the podium 12 times in her career and secured eight wins.
Who is Eileen Gu’s coach?
Jamie Melton is the coach of Eileen Gu. He also serves as the head coach of the 2022 Winter Olympic Big Air Training team alongside the Chinese National Slopestyle team. Melton secured a fourth position at the 2016 Australian New Zealand World Cup in the slopestyle category. He acquired a fifth place at the 2016 North America Cup held in Canada. (via FIS)
Other coaches include Brad Posser, who started working with Gu when she was ten years old. Posser was selected as the technical coach of the Chinese team in 2018 for the 2022 Winter Olympics. He shared his views when Gu won the gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. He shared, "It's unbelievable, and I'm a little speechless on top of the fact that I'm just super proud to watch her perform and do well." (via Aspen Times)
Misra Noto Torniainen serves as the personal coach of Eileen Gu for the 2022 Beijing Olympics. He has served as the head coach of the Swiss Slopestyle Freeski Team and assistant coach of the Swiss/Australian team. Torniainen has been the owner and co-founder of the Torniainen Athlete Management Company since January 2011. He is also part of the Oana AG and is the team leader. (via LinkedIn)
Torniainen has also trained Olympic medalists Mathilde Gremaud and Sarah Höfflin at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. After Gu's victory at the 2022 Olympics, he shared, "It's unbelievable. We knew we were at a good spot coming into the Olympics. The pressure was high. [In] big air and slope, the field is wide open. And I mean, she just delivered, showing her best in each competition. And it's just amazing at the biggest sports stage in the world." (via the official Olympics website)
FAQs on Eileen Gu
A. Eileen Gu can fluently speak English and Chinese.
A. Eileen Gu trains at the Nanshan Ski Resort, Beijing, in 2019.
A. Eileen Gu's hobby is playing the piano in her spare time.
A. Eileen Gu is studying quantum physics at Stanford University.
A. Eileen Gu has a body weight of around 50 kg.
