--- description: Find out why Eileen Gu was selected for TIME‘s 2026 list of the most influential people in sports. title: TIME100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026: Eileen Gu image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc3d408f8488fb331/6a208781b60ceea3773f429e/T100SPORTS-2026-Web-Eileen-Gu.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9%2Coffset-x100.00%2Coffset-y84.90 --- Jun 09, 2026 # Eileen Gu by [Sean Gregory](/author/sean-gregory/) ## Sean Gregory Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent  Qian Jun—MB Media/Getty Images [Eileen Gu](https://time.com/7355691/eileen-gu-interview-2026-olympics/ "undefined"), the 22-year-old Stanford student, runway model, and only action-sport athlete to win three medals apiece at two Olympic Games (Beijing 2022, Milano Cortina 2026) has been a subject of fascination–and target of criticism–since she announced, at age 15, that she would represent China (where her mother grew up and where she spent her childhood summers) rather than the United States (where she was born and raised). In February Vice President JD Vance, referring to Gu on Fox News, said he hoped someone who grew up in the country would “want to compete in the United States.” Gu’s [reply:](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2026/02/19/eileen-gu-jd-vance-united-states-2026-olympics/88764808007/ "undefined") “I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet.” Gu has always maintained that she skis for China to inspire women and girls there to take up winter sports—and participation data [indicates](https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/increasing-winter-sports-participation "undefined") that’s happening. After her second straight [runner-up finish](https://time.com/7373117/eileen-gu-2026-winter-olympics-silver-slopestyle-medal/ "undefined") at the 2026 Olympics, a journalist asked Gu whether she viewed her performance at the Games as two silver medals gained or two golds lost. “I'm the most decorated female freeskier in history,” Gu [said](https://time.com/7379054/eileen-gu-big-air-silver-medal/ "undefined"). “I think it's kind of a ridiculous perspective to take.” Her poise in thoughtfully answering questions throughout the Games drew praise. On the last day of the Games, [Gu won the halfpipe,](https://time.com/7380348/eileen-gu-gold-olympics/ "undefined") her third career Olympic gold. TIME100 Sports | Eileen Gu ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/eileen-gu/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/eileen-gu/"},"headline":"Eileen Gu","datePublished":"2026-06-09T12:00:48.437Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T12:00:48.608Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/eileen-gu/","keywords":["list","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc3d408f8488fb331/6a208781b60ceea3773f429e/T100SPORTS-2026-Web-Eileen-Gu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675%2Coffset-x100.00%2Coffset-y84.90&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sean Gregory","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/sean-gregory/"}],"creator":"Sean Gregory","articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc3d408f8488fb331/6a208781b60ceea3773f429e/T100SPORTS-2026-Web-Eileen-Gu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675%2Coffset-x100.00%2Coffset-y84.90&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/eileen-gu/","name":"Eileen Gu"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 Sports | Olympian Eileen Gu is inspiring young girls to ski","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Q28HVxG4/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-09T11:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Q28HVxG4.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/eileen-gu/","duration":"PT54S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/eileen-gu/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```