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At age 22,\u00a0Eileen Gu is one of the best freestyle skiers in the world\u2014amassing four Olympic medals to her name. She\u2019s also a student at Stanford University studying international relations, currently on leave for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
But instead of waiting to earn a degree to get her career off the ground, she\u2019s dived in headfirst. Gu pulled in $23.1 million last year alone, according to Forbes<\/em>, making her the fourth-highest-paid woman in sports, ahead of stars like Naomi Osaka and Caitlin Clark.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to show young people that you don\u2019t have to wait until you\u2019re older. You can do it all now,\u201d Gu told <\/em>Time<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At a time when success can feel unreachable for Gen Z, owing to uncertainty brought by AI and the economy\u2014Gu\u2019s mantra is straightforward: Age is not a limitation. Start that side hustle sooner rather than later.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s something she learned firsthand: Gu\u2019s financial windfalls are largely not from winning competitions and setting world records; it\u2019s from her balancing her self-branding and modeling career. She\u2019s landed deals with companies like Red Bull, Porsche, and TCL.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a full-time student who\u2019s really athletic,\u201d she said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n And Gu is just one example of the juggling act many Olympic athletes face, trying to achieve their own version of success. Many athletes have full-time jobs\u2014working as realtors, dentists, and baristas\u2014waiting for them back home.<\/p>\n Gu\u2019s drive toward independence began early. She was born in San Francisco and raised by her mother, a first-generation Chinese immigrant, and was out on the slopes by age 3. By the time she was a teenager, Gu was earning enough from brand endorsements to cover her private high school tuition.<\/p>\n \u201cI was able to pay for my own tuition from my freshman year of high school onwards,\u201d Gu said on The Burnouts<\/em> podcast, cohosted by Bill Gates\u2019 daughter Phoebe Gates. \u201cThat was a point of pride for me.\u201d<\/p>\n She emerged onto the global stage after winning one silver and two gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2022; Gu admitted that she initially equated success with recognition\u2014the idea that achievement validated the work.<\/p>\n \u201cIt meant doing something for a purpose and having that purpose spread beyond myself,\u201d she told Vogue Hong Kong<\/em>. \u201cFor example, I wanted to win a competition because that was the culmination of all the moments I\u2019d put into it initially, which was something bigger than me.\u201d<\/p>\n The emotional aftermath of the Games forced a rethink. Gu has spoken publicly about struggling with her mental health in the years that followed.<\/p>\n \u201cI always wanted to leave no matter what situation I was in,\u201d Gu said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n And her grueling schedule didn\u2019t help. Gu often uses long-haul flights to keep up with academic coursework, \u201cI haven\u2019t watched a movie on a plane in years,\u201d she said to Time<\/em>. And her schedule can veer from collegiate normalcy to global celebrity in a matter of hours.<\/p>\n During one two-week stretch in 2023, she attended a Stanford sorority formal, walked for Victoria\u2019s 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\u2019s surprise party before briefly flying to Paris for a nobility ball and returning to California to serve as graduation speaker for a K\u20138 girls\u2019 school four days later. Then she took her Stanford finals.<\/p>\n Part of what helps keep her grounded, she said, has been redefining what success means in her own life\u2014placing a greater value on impact rather than accolades.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter some critical reflection, I realized that what is really fulfilling and meaningful beyond personal success is actually collective success\u2014to share with others what you are so fortunate to have and to use your voice and platform for something positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Gu has over 2 million followers on Instagram and regularly receives hundreds of thousands of viewers for her TikTok videos.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gu\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n By comparison, tennis star Coco Gauff brought in about $8 million on the court and $25 million off it in 2025, while Aryna Sabalenka earned roughly $15 million both on and off the court, according to Forbes<\/em>.<\/p>\n That imbalance makes Gu\u2019s commercial success all the more striking.<\/p>\n But her unique circumstances also mean she won\u2019t be eligible for the $200,000 bonus awarded to all U.S. athletes\u2014no matter if they win or not. Gu competes for Team China\u2014a decision she\u2019s defended as a way to honor her mother\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n In Milan, she is slated to compete in women\u2019s slopestyle, big air, and halfpipe. She has already taken silver in slopestyle and is expected to ski the remaining events later this month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe Gen Z millionaire Olympic athlete started at 3 years old: By her teens, she was covering her own school bills<\/h2>\n
Eileen Gu won\u2019t receive Team USA\u2019s $200,000 financial windfall<\/h2>\n