Eileen Gu is not only one of the world’s top freestyle skiers but also the richest athlete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Born in San Francisco in 2003 to a Chinese mother and American father, Gu began skiing at age three and became a junior champion by nine. She later earned early admission to Stanford. After competing for the U.S., she switched to represent China in 2019, saying she wanted to “build [her] own pond.”
Gu won two golds and a silver at Beijing 2022. At the 2026 Games in Italy, she has already claimed silver in slopestyle and is favored in big air and halfpipe.
According to Forbes, the 22-year-old has earned about $23 million, making her the highest-paid athlete at the Games and the fourth-highest-paid female athlete globally. Most of her income comes from endorsements with brands like Red Bull, Porsche, Tiffany, and Louis Vuitton, along with major Chinese companies.
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