Gu Ailing: Sport is a way to unite people

Special: 2022 Winter Olympics

(ECNS) -- Chinese athlete Gu Ailing, the new Freestyle Skiing Olympic champion said on Tuesday that “sport is a way that we can unite people.”

Gu won the Women's Freestyle Skiing Big Air Olympic gold medal Tuesday. After the event, foreign media at a press conference threw her tough questions about her nationality: “Are you still a U.S. citizen?” and “Do you still have American citizenship, and do you live in the U.S. or China?”

She replied that she feels like "sport is really a way that we can unite people and something that doesn’t have to be related to nationality. It’s not something that can be used to divide people. We are all out here together, pushing the human limit.”

“I've always been super outspoken in my gratitude to the U.S. and the U.S. team as well. They have been nothing but supportive to me. So, for that, I am forever grateful and the same to the Chinese Team. They have been so supportive to me,” she added.

Gu was born in San Francisco, California, the U.S. on Sept. 3, 2003. She started learning freestyle skiing in 2011 and began participating in ski competitions only one year after.

She is now the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing and the first freeskier to win two golds at FIS Freeski World Championship.

She also has a career as a fashion model and has already secured admission into Stanford University.