Eileen Gu will be leaving the 2022 Winter Olympics with a nice souvenir — a gold medal. Gu won the women’s freeski big air event in Beijing in her final run of the event.
Any gold medal win is bound to spark some reactions on Twitter. To put it mildly, Gu was no exception.
Plenty of people simply praised Gu for her achievement.
https://twitter.com/CarlZha/status/1490896051573723140
https://twitter.com/jessicawluther/status/1490887830411055105
I wish Eileen Gu was representing #TeamUSA, but damn is she fun to watch
— Shaun Kernahan (@ShaunKernahan) February 8, 2022
And that’s an element that can’t be ignored. While the Olympics tries to minimize the impact of politics, it’s not possible. It’s especially not possible in the case of Gu, an American-born athlete competing for China.
That drew a strong reaction from former United States senator, Claire McCaskill of Missouri.
To be fair to McCaskill, she was hardly alone. Plenty of people had a lot to say about Gu’s gold medal win and the country she represents. And the responses to the political element of this gold medal were diverse.
In press conference after her big air gold, Eileen Gu sidesteps question about whether she still has her U.S. citizenship.
Instead thanks U.S. team for their support over the years.
— Alex Azzi (@ByAlexAzzi) February 8, 2022
"'She used her action to demonstrate confident Chinese people are the most beautiful!' a commentator on China’s state broadcaster proclaimed as Gu stepped on the top spot on the podium."https://t.co/tcxAKtlpCK
— Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) February 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/pei4y/status/1490907956262883331
“Just be quiet” is often good advice, though it’s also usually easier said than done.
For her part, Gu is aware of the criticism doesn’t seem all that broken up about it.
Gu was not the first gold medal winner of the Beijing Olympics and she will not be the last. It’s unlikely, though, that any other gold medal winner will bring such a strong reaction.