She is an exceptional athlete who has already won medals in the Beijing Olympics. But the fascination — some might say obsession — with Eileen Gu's origin story has threatened to overshadow anything she does on the slopes.
The Associated Press. But the fascination — some might say obsession — with Eileen Gu's origin story has threatened to overshadow anything she does on the slopes.
The frenzy to “explain” Gu’s choice reflects biases and misunderstandings in the United States about Asian American identity. The stories about Eileen Gu are as much about the people telling them as they are about the athlete herself. Gu had an upper middle-class upbringing and private school education in the United States, and she says she’s equally comfortable in both countries.
“It’s sort of ironic because in half our cases, people use anti-Chinese rhetoric and are telling us to go back home. They’re telling us, ‘You don’t belong here. We don’t accept you.’ And then this is sort of the opposite: ‘Why aren’t you representing your home?’" he says. “And so we lose either way.”
Nathan Chen, who won a gold for the U.S. in figure skating, was born in Utah to immigrants from China. Snowboarder Chloe Kim, who won her second gold for the U.S. in the women’s halfpipe, was born in California to Korean immigrants. U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu is the daughter of a man who left China in his 20s as a political refugee because he had protested the Communist government.
That fascination is evident from the gross tonnage of social media commentary she attracts in both countries.
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