Eileen Gu handled a reporter’s question with elegance when they seemed to belittle her accomplishments at this year’s Winter Olympics.
The 22-year-old star, born in the United States but competing for China in the Milano Cortina 2026, has achieved an impressive feat with five Olympic medals.
Gu earned two golds and one silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and recently added two more silver medals to her resume in the women’s freeski slopestyle.
Although Gu did not retain her freestyle skiing gold, her spirits remained high as she told the press, “Five-time Olympic medallist kind of has a ring to it, right?”
Indeed, it certainly does.
During a press conference on February 16 after her achievement, a sports reporter questioned her accomplishments in a now-viral exchange.
The reporter asked, “Do you see these as two silvers gained or two golds lost?”
Gu, reportedly the wealthiest athlete at the event, laughed and responded, “I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that’s an answer in and of itself.”
She continued, “How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete.
“Doing it five times is exponentially harder, because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else’s expectations rise, right? And so, the two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think is a kind of ridiculous perspective to take.”
Bravo, Eileen Gu.
Watch the moment she was asked the question here:
The skier’s response has been widely praised online, with one commentator describing it as ‘perfect’.
“She gave the perfect answer to a rude question trying to get a rise out of her,” a Reddit user commented. “We’ve heard enough from you, sir.”
Another individual exclaimed, “F**king insulting question! She did well not to get super p*ssed; it’s essentially trying to erase the massive achievement of winning 2 silvers.”
“It was a rage-bait question that she didn’t bite on, and instead politely redirected back to the awesomeness of her sport while simultaneously lifting up her competitors,” another remarked, adding, “The reporter should feel the burn.”
However, some defended the reporter’s question.
One person noted, “This is a loaded question, but I don’t think it was asked with any ill intent—this question gets asked a lot of people who win silver.”
Another argued that it was ‘a fairly standard question that people get asked in sports’.
What do you think?