*This content was translated by AI.
Gu Ai-ling (22, American name Eileen Gu), a two-time winner of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, who was at the crossroads of life and death due to a cerebral hemorrhage during the game, succeeded in returning after 10 months of rehabilitation. Despite the nationality controversy raised in China and the United States, he will represent China at the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.
Chinese media Sohu Dotcom reported on the 3rd (Korea Standard Time) that "Gu Ai-ling was in a state of shock for five minutes due to a cerebral hemorrhage during the Winter X Games held in Aspen, USA in January last year. At that time, Gu Ai-ling even showed epilepsy symptoms and was in critical condition."
According to reports, Guai-ling failed to land while attempting a high-level aerial rotation motion in the fourth period of the women's ski slopestyle final. Gu Ai-ling, who lost his balance, fell unconscious as he collided strongly with the floor from head to head. Even after the medical staff were deployed, Gu Ai-ling showed symptoms of shortness of breath and could not find consciousness, and managed to wake up after about five minutes of emergency measures.
The diagnostic results were severe, including acute cerebral hemorrhage, clavicle fracture, and shoulder fracture. According to Sohu Dotcom, medical staff recommended absolute stability, saying, "Even if it was a little late, it could have led to permanent disability or death due to brain damage." The accident forced Guai-ling to give up his participation in the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games.
However, public opinion in China was not fair. "Sohu Dotcom" said, "There was a malicious public opinion in China that Gu I-ling's absence from the Asian Games was "fraudulent because he was afraid of poor performance." Gu I-ring also explained the atmosphere at the time by releasing hospital medical certificates and X-ray photos.
Gu I-ling endured intense rehabilitation training that lasted 10 hours a day for 10 months. He made a splendid comeback by winning the Snow League tournament in Zhangjiakou, China in December 2025, and won his 20th World Cup trophy by winning the FIS World Cup in Lax, Switzerland in January this year.
In name and reality, he is one of the top Olympic stars. The Athletic, a sports media outlet, selected Gui-ling as one of the 26 international stars to watch in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. In this competition, he will try to win three gold medals in ski big air, half pipe and slope style.
Although he has overcome the difficult times of fatal injuries and rehabilitation, he has confirmed his participation in the Olympics, but the noise outside the stadium has been constant. This is because Gu Ailing, who was born in California, the United States, is known to earn astronomical profits by representing China while maintaining U.S. citizenship.
According to Forbes, a U.S. economic magazine, Gui-ling recorded a total of $87.4 million (about 126.9 billion won) from 2022 to 2025. Hong Kong's "South China Morning Post" analyzed, "This is the result of working as a luxury brand model rather than profit from ski athletes' activities."
Guai Ling has not made a clear stance on the controversy over his nationality since declaring his membership of the Chinese national team in 2019. China does not allow dual citizenship in principle. In response, Gu I-ling avoided an immediate answer, saying, "I'm an American when I'm in the United States, and I'm Chinese when I'm in China." Recently, when asked about the color of her passport, Gu I-ling maintained an ambiguous attitude, saying, "I don't know why it's important."
According to the U.S. "Fox News," Gu I-ling said in a recent interview, "The United States already has a lot of sports stars. I like to make my own pond," he said, explaining the reason for staying in the Chinese national team. He then drew the line, saying, "I have never thought that I can make more money on behalf of Chinese companies."
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*This content was translated by AI.
