“I’m a full-time student who’s really athletic,” she said. “I can have a conversation with a physicist and stand my ground, and I can also walk a runway show the next day. I think that is pretty revolutionary, especially as a young person. Because the whole multi-hyphenate thing often happens in different stages in life.”
The emotional aftermath of the Games forced a rethink. Gu has spoken publicly about struggling with her mental health in the years that followed.
“I always wanted to leave no matter what situation I was in,” Gu said. “I wanted to go home when I was out, and I wanted to go to sleep when I was awake. I never felt like I was where I was meant to be.”
And her grueling schedule didn’t help. Gu often uses long-haul flights to keep up with academic coursework, “I haven’t watched a movie on a plane in years,” she said to Time. And her schedule can veer from collegiate normalcy to global celebrity in a matter of hours.
During one two-week stretch in 2023, she attended a Stanford sorority formal, walked for Victoria’s Secret in Barcelona the next night, and appeared at a Louis Vuitton show in Italy three days later. Gu then headed back to the U.S. for a friend’s surprise party before briefly flying to Paris for a nobility ball and returning to California to serve as graduation speaker for a K–8 girls’ school four days later. Then she took her Stanford finals.
Part of what helps keep her grounded, she said, has been redefining what success means in her own life—placing a greater value on impact rather than accolades.
“After some critical reflection, I realized that what is really fulfilling and meaningful beyond personal success is actually collective success—to share with others what you are so fortunate to have and to use your voice and platform for something positive.”
Gu’s financial profile looks different from many other top female athletes because competition winnings account for only a sliver of her income. Less than 1% of her estimated 2025 earnings came from prize money.
That imbalance makes Gu’s commercial success all the more striking.
In Milan, she is slated to compete in women’s slopestyle, big air, and halfpipe. She has already taken silver in slopestyle and is expected to ski the remaining events later this month.
