Eileen Gu Turns 22 in Style! Stunning in a Pink Gown and Grateful for the Support from Her Chinese Friends

On September 5 (Beijing time), Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu took to social media to celebrate her 22nd birthday.

Born on September 3, 2003, Gu has spent most of her past birthdays in training — until this year. In August, while preparing for the upcoming season at Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand, she suffered an injury during training. She later confirmed the incident on social media, describing it as a “very scary accident” caused by human error, with her condition pending further evaluation at the time. She also reminded fans to refrain from taking videos or photos during training sessions for safety reasons.

Throughout her career, Gu has endured multiple training setbacks — breaking her collarbone in 2016, fracturing her foot during jump practice in 2018, sustaining a concussion later that same year at the World Cup in Chongli, and suffering a fractured hand with torn thumb ligaments ahead of the 2021 World Championships. Earlier this year in March, a shoulder injury forced her to withdraw from the Harbin Asian Winter Games.

Fortunately, her recovery this time has been progressing well. Now back in the United States, she marked her special day in San Francisco — her first birthday there in a decade.

“This is the first time in ten years I’ve celebrated my birthday in San Francisco,” she wrote. “In the past, when I wasn’t injured, I was always training at this time of year. The sunshine feels brighter on a cloudy day. Thank you to my friends for years of love, companionship, and encouragement. This year, I truly felt the support and positive energy from friends in China and around the world.”

Gu shared several stunning photos alongside her message — taken aboard what appeared to be a yacht — wearing a flowing pink gown that perfectly highlighted her elegance and poise. She looked absolutely radiant.