U.S.-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu said she feels like "a punching bag" amid global criticism for choosing to represent her mother's native China in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics while speaking to USA TODAY.

Gu, 22, who initially opted to represent China over the United States ahead of the 2022 Beijing Games, caught the ire of numerous Americans including Vice President JD Vance who said, "someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America" during an appearance on FOX News.

“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet," Gu responded playfully.

The skier, who took silver in the big air and slopestyle and is still scheduled to compete in the halfpipe final as the defending champion at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, was then asked if she currently feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics” after her qualifying run on Thursday (February 19).

“I do,” she said, per USA Today. “So many athletes compete for a different country. … People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really about what they think it’s about.

“And also, because I win. Like if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions.”

Gu recently revealed she was "physically assaulted," robbed and received death threats on the campus of Stanford University after her initial decision to represent China at the 2022 Beijing Games in 2019 during an interview with the Athletic.

“Physically assaulted on the street,” she said. “The police were called. I’ve had death threats. I’ve had my dorm robbed.

“I’ve gone through some things as a 22-year-old that I really think no one should ever have to endure, ever.”

The Stanford Police Department referred the Athletic to its department of public safety, which didn't respond to a request for comment, according to the sports media outlet. Gu, who still lives in the United States, said she enrolled at Stanford in 2022 despite a petition launched by parents of prospective students and Chinese Americans calling for her to be kept out.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m carrying the weight of two countries on my shoulders,” she said via the Athletic.

Gu initially announced her decision to represent China instead of the U.S. in a post shared on her Instagram account in 2019.

“I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings. The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love," she wrote at the time. “Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations. If I can help to inspire one young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true.”

Gu is the most decorated women's freeskier ever, having won two gold and three silver medals in Olympic play, as well as a record 20 World Cup wins and was the only female skier to compete in all three freestyle events at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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Doc Reno