After successfully defending her women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe title at the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics to win gold once more, thus becoming the most decorated freeskier with six Olympic medals in her career, Eileen Gu revealed that behind the celebration was devastating personal news, she had just learned that her grandmother Feng Guozhen had passed away.
In her post-competition interview, the 22-year-old Olympic athlete fought back tears as she shared that her grandmother had been very ill before she left for the games so they knew that her passing was a possibility. The last time they met, she made a promise, but it was not about results. “I didn’t promise her that I was gonna win, but I did promise her that I was gonna be brave, like she has been brave.”
Shortly after her victory, Eileen Gu took to social media to post a tribute, sharing photos of her grandmother, one of which had them both wearing her Olympic medals from Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The caption read: “Because I promised her I would be brave like her 🤍🕊️ 我爱你奶奶 💌” (“I love you, Grandma.”) Many left comments of support including Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu.
Eileen Gu described her grandmother as “a steamship” who commanded life and someone she looked up to immensely. She said, “a lot of people just cruise through life but she grabbed it by the reins and made it into what she wanted it to be.” Eileen Gu, born and raised in the US, grew up with her mother, Gu Yan, and her grandmother, Feng Guozhen who are both from China. She later chose to represent China in international competition, a decision that drew global attention and sparked debate.
