Why Eileen Gu celebrated Chinese New Year in San Francisco after Winter Olympics success despite China representation controversy?

Freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu returned to her home city San Francisco and received a huge welcome during the city’s Chinese New Year parade on Saturday night. The 22 year old Olympic skier was invited to lead the celebrations as the grand marshal after her recent success at the Winter Olympics, where she became the most decorated freestyle Olympic skier with six career medals. Crowds lined the streets and loudly cheered as Gu waved from the parade route moving from downtown toward Chinatown. Many people were excited to see the hometown athlete who grew up in the Bay Area before choosing to represent China in international competitions.

Her Olympic achievements made headlines around the world, but her decision to ski for China instead of the United States has also kept her in the middle of a long running debate. Still, on Saturday night, the mood in San Francisco was celebratory as the community welcomed her back with pride.

Eileen Gu leads San Francisco Chinese New Year parade after Olympic success while past criticism over representing China still follows her

The Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco is one of the biggest celebrations of its kind outside Asia. The colorful event included loud drums, bright floats, lion dancers, and martial arts performers. Firecrackers popped in the streets as civic leaders and community groups walked through the parade route.




Children also joined the celebration, some wearing inflatable horse costumes while waving to the crowd. But many spectators were especially excited to see Eileen Gu. Each time her float passed a section of the street, people cheered and waved their phones to capture the moment.

Before the parade started, Gu spoke to ABC7 and shared how much the event means to her.

She said, “I’m so excited. The San Francisco Chinese New Year parade is, like, none other. San Francisco is such a special city, and I will not shut up about it to anybody who will listen.”

While the celebration was joyful, the past few weeks have also been emotional for Gu. Shortly after winning gold in the freestyle halfpipe at the Olympics, she learned that her grandmother had passed away.

Speaking about her grandmother later, Gu shared a personal memory.

She said, “I remember growing up making dumplings with my mom and grandma. My grandma was the best at packing those so full of filling. It’s like impossible to believe how she got them closed.”

She added, “She and I were massively close, and I’m so grateful to have had the time that I had with her. She has this indomitable spirit, and I think that it’s almost impossible not to live on with that spirit.”

Gu, who studies at Stanford University, grew up in San Francisco but chose to represent China as a teenager. That decision continues to bring criticism from some American political voices.

In February, JD Vance spoke about the issue during an interview with Fox News.

He said, “Somebody who grew up in the United States of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope they would want to compete with the United States of America.”

He continued, “So, I will root for American athletes and I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I am rooting for this Olympics.”

Despite the criticism, Gu has said the pressure has only made her stronger. During the Olympics she told The Athletic that the challenges have been difficult.

She said, “Things don’t get easier. You just get stronger. It’s hard. I’ve gone through some things as a 22 year old that I really think no one should ever have to endure.”

Even with the controversy around her career, Saturday night showed that in San Francisco, many people still celebrate Eileen Gu as their hometown star.