U.S.-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu said she was "physically assaulted," robbed and received death threats on the campus of Stanford University after her initial decision to represent her mother's native China in the Winter Olympics in 2019.

Gu, 22, who is competing at the ongoing 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, initially opted to represent China over the United States ahead of the 2022 Beijing Games and recently revealed details on the backlash she faced in an interview with the Athletic.

“Physically assaulted on the street,” she said. “The police were called. I’ve had death threats. 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.”

The Stanford Police Department referred the Athletic to its department of public safety, which didn't respond to a request for comment, according to the sports media outlet. Gu, who still lives in the United States, said she enrolled at Stanford in 2022 despite a petition launched by parents of prospective students and Chinese Americans calling for her to be kept out.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m carrying the weight of two countries on my shoulders,” she said via the Athletic.

Gu initially announced her decision to represent China instead of the U.S. in a post shared on her Instagram account in 2019.

“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," she wrote at the time. “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.”

Gu won silver in the women's Big Air final on Monday (February 16), adding to her legacy as the most decorated women's freeskier ever, having won two gold and three silver medals in Olympic play, as well as a record 20 World Cup wins. The 22-year-old is scheduled for the women's freestyle halfpipe as the only female skier to compete in all three freestyle events at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.

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