Meet Eileen Gu, Olympic Gold Medalist and Now SI Swimsuit Athlete Model

Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu is now adding SI Swimsuit model to to impressive resume.

Feb 18, 2022; Zhangjiakou, CHINA; Gold medalist Ailing Eileen Gu (CHN) celebrates during the medals ceremony for the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Zhangjiakou Medals Plaza. / Jack Gruber-Imagn Images

Eileen Gu became a household name at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing with her performances as a freestyle skier. Born and raised in San Francisco, Cali., she represented China in Beijing in three events -- halfpipe, slopestyle and big air.

She won the gold medal in big air and halfpipe while taking home the silver in slopestyle. That made her the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing and is the first person to win three medals in a single Olympic games.

It was just the beginning for the 21-year-old, who has found success at every level of competition throughout her career.

Gu first skied for the first time at three years old and was competing by the age of eight. Aptly nicknamed “Snow Princess” her rise to fame is only going to grow with what she is doing away from the slopes.

In 2022, she was named to the 100 Most Influential People list shared by Time under the ‘Pioneers’ category. In 2023, Forbes listed her as the second-highest-earning female athlete in the world.

Her recognition and brand are only going to grow, as it was announced she is going to be featured in the 2025 SI Swimsuit magazine as one of their athletes.

“We are thrilled to launch our shoot season for the 2025 issue with an extraordinary lineup of powerful female athletes,” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day said with the announcement. “This remarkable group, featuring Olympic medalists, world champions, and record holders, embodies the next generation of all-stars poised to transform the world of sports. They defy stereotypes and champion equality, inspiring young girls to envision themselves as both athletes and leaders. At SI Swimsuit, we’ve always celebrated the future of women, and there’s no better way to honor these remarkable achievements than by featuring them on the pages of our issue.”

You can follow along with her shoot day with photographer Ben Horton on SI Swimsuit Instagram.

This isn’t Gu’s first foray into modeling, as she has been on the cover of Vogue China, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. Signed by IMG Models, she has also done several runway walks for top designers and has partnership deals with major national brands such as Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret and Tiffany & Co.

Another thing she is passionate about is being a trailblazer for young athletes. Gu hopes that she can inspire young girls and women to pursue whatever interests they have with as much intensity and passion as she has in her ventures.

On top of her athletic and modeling success, Gu is a student at Stanford University, where she studies quantum physics.

Still early in her journey, she has a lot more to accomplish as she sets out to continue surpassing and crushing boundaries while bringing along as many people with her as possible.