It is as captivating as it is divisive: the tale of two Chinese American athletic geniuses who have so much in common but make such different choices.
Eileen Gu, a 22-year-old freestyle skier, and Alysa Liu, a 20-year—old figure skater, were both born to Chinese immigrants in California, and both were brought up in single-parent households. Both are elite athletes who turned in gold-medal performances at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics last month.
