"Seated in the back of a red Mustang convertible, Gu kept a relaxed, affable demeanor, smiling and waving at crowds seated in bleachers and pressed against barricades. Two police officers walked ahead of her car. When fans shouted her name, she waved back, or made a heart with her hands."
"Gu, a six-time Olympic medalist, is one of the most decorated skiers of her generation. She's among the world's highest-paid female athletes, with Forbes reporting she made $23 million last year. She is also a model and a student at Stanford, where she studies international relations."
"But if any critics were in the crowds lining Kearny Street on Saturday evening, they didn't make themselves known. Instead, every time she turned a corner, Gu was greeted by a renewed wave of emphatic cheers. Onlookers craned their necks and held their phones above the other heads lining the sidewalk."
Eileen Gu, a 22-year-old San Francisco native and six-time Olympic medalist in freestyle skiing, served as grand marshal for the 2026 Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown. Despite facing conservative criticism for competing for China in the Olympics, Gu received overwhelming positive reception from parade crowds. Seated in a red Mustang convertible, she maintained an affable demeanor, waving and making heart gestures to enthusiastic onlookers. Gu is among the world's highest-paid female athletes, earning $23 million annually according to Forbes. Born in the United States and raised in San Francisco's Seacliff neighborhood, she chose to compete for China in 2019, where her mother grew up, amid escalating U.S.-China tensions.
Read at SFGATE
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