Highest-Paid Winter Olympian Eileen Gu Secures Slopestyle Final Spot After Early Scare
Milan, Saturday, 7 February 2026.
On Saturday, February 7, 2026, the stakes were exceptionally high at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics as Eileen Gu, the world’s highest-paid winter athlete, narrowly avoided early elimination. After a disastrous first run in the slopestyle qualifiers yielded a score of just 1.26, the Chinese freestyle skiing superstar executed a critical recovery, scoring 75.30 to advance to the finals. With an estimated annual income of $23 million and a massive portfolio of luxury endorsements including Louis Vuitton and Porsche, Gu’s performance carries significant economic weight beyond the slopes. As she prepares for the February 9 final, her ability to deliver under pressure remains vital for the brands banking on her unique cross-market appeal in both China and the West.
Resilience Under Pressure
Competing at the Livigno Snow Park on Saturday, Gu’s Olympic campaign nearly ended before it truly began. The course, noted for a rail section significantly more difficult than average World Cup circuits, claimed Gu as an early victim when she fell during her first run, resulting in a dismal score of 1.26 [2]. Facing elimination, the 22-year-old regrouped with a snack of dried fruit provided by her mother and a mantra of self-affirmation, telling herself, “I love this sport and I am the best” [2][6]. The mental reset proved effective; Gu delivered a commanding second run score of 75.30, a massive 74.04 point turnaround that secured her second place in the qualifying round [2]. She now advances to the final scheduled for Monday, February 9, trailing only Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud [2][5].
The $23 Million Brand
For Gu, these moments of athletic peril have implications that ripple well beyond the medal count. As of 2025, she stands as the highest-paid athlete at the Winter Games, commanding an estimated $23 million annually [1]. Her commercial portfolio serves as a unique bridge between East and West, featuring luxury heavyweights like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, and Porsche alongside major Chinese enterprises such as Anta Sports, Mengniu Dairy, and Luckin Coffee [1]. This valuation is underpinned by her historic dominance; she enters Milan-Cortina as a three-time medalist from the Beijing 2022 Games, where she became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Olympics, including gold in big air and halfpipe [1][6]. Maintaining this marketability requires consistent elite performance, making her recovery in the qualifiers a critical moment for her business interests.
A Rematch with History
The upcoming final presents a narrative steeped in competitive rivalry. Gu will face off against Gremaud, the very skier who denied her a slopestyle gold in Beijing by a razor-thin margin of 0.33 points [5]. The Swiss athlete enters the final in formidable form, having finished in the top two in eight of her last nine World Cup appearances since November 2023 [5]. Despite the intense pressure of this rematch, Gu maintains a grounded perspective, stating she has “nothing left to prove” after her triple-medal haul four years ago [6]. Her approach to these games emphasizes personal evolution over external validation, a sentiment she expressed by noting that while she used to ski based on what she knew, she now skis based on what she wants to do [6].
Fashion, Physics, and the Future
Off the slopes, Gu continues to cultivate a brand that merges athletics with high fashion and academia. She is currently taking a break from her studies at Stanford University, where she focuses on international relations and quantum physics, to compete in Italy [1][8]. This intersection of interests was visible during her training sessions earlier this week, where she debuted a custom-designed outfit by Anta inspired by Chinese ceramics and the blue-and-white color palette of the Milan-Cortina Games [3]. As she prepares for Monday’s showdown, Gu’s ability to balance these diverse worlds—fashion, finance, and freestyle skiing—remains her defining characteristic as she chases history once again.