Eileen Gu Was 'Physically Assaulted' Over Olympics Decision

Unfortunately for Olympic skier Eileen Gu, her rise to stardom has been anything but smooth.

Back in 2019, Gu announced that she was going to represent China for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. That surprised plenty of people since she was born and raised in San Francisco, California.

"I have decided to compete for China in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics," Gu said. "This was an incredibly tough decision for me to make. I am extremely thankful for U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Chinese Ski Association for having the vision and belief in me to make my dreams come true. I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings. The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love. Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations. If I can help to inspire one young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true."

Although several years have passed since Gu's decision, she's still under heavy fire for representing China at the Olympics. During a recent interview with The Athletic, the 22-year-old skier revealed that she was "physically assaulted" while on Stanford's campus.

“I’ve had death threats,” Gu told The Athletic. “I’ve had my dorm robbed. I’ve gone through some things as a 22-year-old that I really think no one should ever have to endure, ever.”

A spokesperson for Stanford University has not yet addressed these comments from Gu.