In OlymPicks, we highlight news, gossip, and developments regarding the buildup to Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics.

As if it weren't noteworthy enough that at just 15, skiing prodigy Eileen Gu snagged the opportunity to compete in the 2022 Olympics, the American athlete garnered all the more attention when she explained exactly how she secured the opportunity. Gu, who is of Chinese descent, recently announced on Weibo and Instagram that she would be switching her American citizenship for a Chinese passport in order to join the latter's Olympic team.

“This was an incredibly tough decision for me to make; I am proud of my heritage and equally proud of my American upbringing,” Gu said about taking on Chinese citizenship, which prohibits dual nationality, in order to boost her Olympic prospects in the Middle Kingdom. Her decision is likely to surprise and even irk American sports fans, who will be all the more vexed to lose one of their nation’s star competitors to China as tensions between the two nations continue to rise.

However, the award-winning athlete says she couldn't resist “the opportunity to try and help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, and help promote the sport I love," adding, "Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote communication and common understanding, and forge friendships. If I can help to inspire one young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true.”

And while such responses make the San Francisco-raised Gu seem wise beyond her 15 years now, she was equally impressive as a three-year-old, when the would-be pro was strapped on to a pair of skis for the first time. “I can’t even remember the time, but according to my grandma and grandpa, I picked it up quickly during my group lessons and soon began rolling down the hill after mastering basic turning drills,” Gu tells the Beijinger of her first tries on the slopes. “I like to think that my first encounter with snow was already a reflection of the freestyle, creative spirit that I continue to value and take pride in when I ski today.”

Before long, Gu was not only speeding down the slopes with ease but also practically defying gravity. The rapid progress that has made her a star today worried her mother at first, especially when Gu was zipping around on a freeski team as an eight-year-old. “With not much knowledge of freeskiing, she thought it could be slower, and therefore safer,” Gu recalls of her mother’s trepidation, before explaining the feat that eventually sealed the deal: “By the time she saw me doing a backflip, however, she realized it was much too late.”

Even though Gu was the only female on that team, she was soon welcomed by her male peers. Of that early milestone, Gu says: “As the only girl on the team, I think this was also my first understanding that sports are a great way to overcome differences, and create bonds where nobody could have predicted.” That experience is likely to help her today as she starts to face greater scrutiny on a tensely divided world stage.

Her already considerable progress hit a new level a mere year after she joined that freeskiing team, when Gu first competed at the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) Nationals at a mere nine years old. “It was my first national contest, and I was extremely nervous going in,” she says, before recalling the terrible weather that prompted her mother to once again err on the side of caution and “suggest that I not compete for safety concerns. But my coach and I decided to continue with my planned tricks.”

It proved to be a risk worth taking. Gu recalls how: “Landing my final trick overwhelmed me with joy and pride.” It was the first of many breakthroughs that still compel Gu to this day, saying how she continues, “to advocate for skiing, in hopes that another young girl can have the chance to feel the same euphoria that I do every time I land a new trick. From winning my first national championship, to my first World Cup podium, to my first World Cup win, every challenge conquered continues to motivate me to improve.”

Such successes certainly make some American skiing fans pine for Gu to join Team USA. However, appealing to her mother’s heritage is only part of the reason why she set her sights on Team China instead. Although she grew up Stateside, Gu visited the mainland every summer throughout her childhood, passing through more than a dozen cities. She jokingly verifies that fact in a way that will be recognizable to many us: “from xiaolongbao to youtiao and doujiang to luroufan, it’s safe to say I’ve found my favorite foods from all over China.”

Gu has also caught the attention of Beijing-born athletic consultant Qingping "Domo" Yu (who we recently profiled), who is now working as the sports manager for the Olympic Games' freestyle ski and snowboard program. She says: “I know Eileen and her mom personally. She is an amazing youth! Like all the other Chinese skiers, I asked Eileen's mom before whether she is gonna compete for China. Now I am so happy to see Eileen make this decision! To me, the Olympics is not about sports competitions between countries. I love to see skiers train and play out their full potential by choosing the country they feel can support them the most.”

Qingping adds that Gu will also help boost the sport's popularity in China. “I think she will inspire many young girls chasing their passion for sports. Chinese people will be excited to watch and cheer her on. We all think she is a Beijing girl! It is amazing to see she speaks in fluent Beijing dialect.”

For her part, Gu hopes to not only motivate skiers here but also back home in the US and further afield, and says that her efforts to take on a new citizenship and join team China have already proven more positive and less controversial than a few naysayers might assume. As she puts it: “I was pleasantly surprised that nearly all of the responses, from China and America, have been very positive. I am hopeful that that continues through the Beijing Olympics, as I believe sport has the power to unite and bring people together, and one of my goals is to help to achieve that.”

Keep abreast of all the Beijing Winter Olympics news here as we count down to 2022.

More stories by this author here.

Email: kylemullin@truerun.com

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Photos: CGTN, Weibo (via China Plus), Qingping Yu, The Sports Examiner