Winter Olympics’ wealthiest athlete is only 22 – her net worth is staggering

As the world’s elite winter athletes descend upon the Italian Alps for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, one figure looms larger than the rest—not just on the podium, but on the balance sheet. Eileen Gu, the 22-year-old freestyle skiing sensation, has arrived in Italy as more than just a returning champion; she is officially the wealthiest athlete in the Olympic village.

The San Francisco-born phenom, who famously pivoted from representing the United States to competing for China in 2019, solidified her legendary status during the 2022 Beijing Games with a haul of two golds and a silver. Now, in the heat of the 2026 competition, she has already secured a silver in freeski slopestyle and remains the heavy favorite to defend her crowns in both the big air and halfpipe events.

A Prodigy’s Path: From San Francisco to Stanford

Gu’s ascent to the top of the sporting world was both rapid and meticulously balanced. Born in 2003 to a first-generation Chinese mother and an American father, Gu hit the slopes at age three. Interestingly, it was her mother who directed her toward freestyle skiing, reportedly viewing the high-speed world of alpine racing as the more hazardous discipline.

The decision paid dividends almost immediately. By age nine, Gu was a junior champion for the USA Snowboard and Freeski Association. Yet, her “triple threat” reputation extends beyond the snow; Gu famously balanced her professional training with rigorous academics, securing early admission to Stanford University in 2020.

The Decision that Shook the Skiing World

In 2019, Gu made the geopolitical and professional choice that would define her career: she switched her athletic allegiance to China. Explaining her rationale for leaving the U.S. team, Gu offered a perspective that hinted at her budding business acumen: “The US already has the representation. I like building my own pond.”

That pond has since become a vast, global reservoir of wealth.

The $23 Million Sensation

According to recent Forbes data, Gu has amassed an estimated fortune of $23 million. This staggering figure doesn’t just make her the richest person on skis today; it places her as the fourth-highest-paid female athlete in the entire world. In the global rankings, she sits only behind a trio of tennis titans: Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka.

To understand the scale of Gu’s financial dominance, one only needs to look at her contemporaries. American legend Lindsey Vonn, long the gold standard for skiing wealth, holds a net worth of approximately $8.2 million—less than half of what Gu has earned by her early twenties.

The Face of Global Luxury

While her talent on the halfpipe is undeniable, the bulk of Gu’s empire is built on dry land. She has successfully positioned herself as a bridge between Western luxury and the massive Chinese consumer market. Her portfolio is a “who’s who” of blue-chip brands, featuring lucrative partnerships with:

• Global Giants: Red Bull and Porsche.
• High Fashion: Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, and Victoria’s Secret.
• Editorial Power: Frequent cover appearances on the Chinese editions of Vogue and Marie Claire.

As she stares down the halfpipe in Cortina, Gu is competing for more than just hardware. She is protecting a brand that has effectively redefined what it means to be a modern Olympian—proving that in the 21st century, “building your own pond” can lead to an ocean of success.