Photo: Eileen Gu // Instagram
Eileen Gu was the only action sports athlete named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People In Sports 2026 list. The list, which was released by the publication this week, featured other skiers, including Americans Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, but Gu was the only skier outside of the traditional Alpine Racing discipline.
Gu became a target of debate and much criticism in the American media landscape earlier this year for her decision to represent China in the Milano Cortina Games, which she’s represented on the international stage since she was 15. With the Olympic Games back in the spotlight in 2026, Vice President JD Vance took a jab at Gu in February, suggesting that since she’s grown up in the United States and is a U.S. citizen (Gu obtained dual citizenship prior to competing for China in 2019), she should “want to compete in the United States.”
“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet,” she responded.
Gu touched on the topic more, pointing out that many athletes compete for different countries.
“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,” she explained. “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.”
TIME gave a nod to this narrative within Gu’s career as reason for her inclusion. They pointed out that her decision to compete for China appears to have made an impact in the nation’s ski demographics, inspiring women and young girls to take up winter sports
“One of my good friends is a (terrain) park builder. He actually told me last year that in his park that he’s been maintaining for the last 10 to 12 years, he has literally gotten to see the demographic shift,” she told TIME in an interview. “It used to be me as the only young girl in the park and then a bunch of middle-aged guys, probably. Now he calls it ‘The Eileen Effect,’ where the park is full of little girls and they’re all on skis.”
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