Profile: Gu Ailing: I'm not trying to keep everyone happy

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Adding an Olympic gold in the maiden freeski big air event to eight World Cup victories and two world championship titles, Gu Ailing lived up to her pre-Games billing as one of the biggest stars of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Yet, besides her talent, what really sets the 18-year-old apart from most of her fellow Olympians at Beijing 2022 is her intricate connections to both China and the United States.

Born in California, Unite States in 2003 to an American father and a Chinese mother, Gu started skiing when she was just "a little pink ball of a toddler." "While other kids were busy crying and screaming, I'd already move on," Gu recalled.

Ever since then, Gu started to sweep youth competitions and made rapid progress - the same upward trajectory as every single talented athlete has had.

Gu seemed to have the wind at her back until 2019 when she announced to change her nationality from the USA to China, which triggered a wave of criticism from some western media.

"I have decided to compete for China in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics. This was an incredibly tough decision for me to make... 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 on social media.

Despite discussions and even unpleasant comments about her decision, Gu had not been affected but gradually became a phenom stunning enough to create envy out of everywhere.

This sentiment reached the peak when Gu claimed the historic Olympic gold with a 1620 performance she had never done before in the women's freeski big air.

When everyone thought she would settle for a podium finish before the third and final run, Gu made a phone call to her mom on top of the Big Air Shougang, asking if she should drop in her signature trick of double cork 1440 to secure a silver medal.

But then she decided to "whip out this random trick I'd never done before and go for gold."

"You have the final say. This is your race. I hope you enjoy," said her mom on the phone.

With a deep breath, Gu slid down the ramp and shot herself into the air.

One rotation, two, three, four... and another half - Gu stomped a left-side double cork 1620 with a safety grab to become the second female athlete ever to land the trick after Tess Ledeux.

With a race-high 94.50 points, Gu jumped to first with a tiny lead of 0.75 points on Ledeux.

As Ledeux failed to improve on her score with a flaw on the landing, Gu secured her biggest victory by far following her success at the Youth Olympic Games in 2020 and the World Cup this season.

These girls expressed gratitude to each other after the race.

"It is just a dream come true," said Ledeux. "The level of competition was so strong and I am just so proud to be part of the podium."

"She [Ailing] has killed it today," the French girl admitted.

"We are going through the emotions at the end," said Gu. "I won because of them, because they had inspired me so much and made me who I am. I just wanted to express my gratitude. We are all out here to do this together."

"Lots of respect between these girls," said Mathilde Gremaud who took the bronze. "Ailing and Tess are really strong and motivating. They are pushing me and I hope to be pushing them."

While the press conference could have been focused on the competition itself and the chemistry among the skiers, Gu faced questions regarding her nationality and identity, the answers to which showed why she could become one of the biggest names at Beijing 2022.

"I'm not trying to keep everyone happy," she said. "I'm an 18-year-old girl out here living my best life and having a great time. It doesn't really matter if other people are happy or not."

"I am doing my best. I'm enjoying the entire process and using my voice to create as much positive change I can for the voices who will listen to me in an area that is personal and relevant to myself."

"And in that sense, I'm not going to waste my time trying to placate people who are uneducated and probably are never going to experience the kind of joy, gratitude and love that I have the great fortune to experience on a daily basis."

"If people don't believe me and if people don't like me, then that's their loss. They're never going win the Olympics."

Spending at least two months in China each year since she was two, Gu speaks fluent Mandarin with a Beijing accent. Peking duck and dumplings are her favorite foods.

Gu's natural and intimate bond with Beijing and her love for China and Chinese culture didn't appear to downplay the attention on her identity. But for herself, Gu has been very outspoken about her gratitude to both of the countries for making her the person who she is today.

"My mission is to use sport as a force for unity, to use it as a former to foster interconnection between countries and not use it as a device of force. That benefits everyone," Gu said.