The Rise of Eileen Gu

This is the office for the day. There's a half pipe somewhere behind me, and I'm going to be in it in about 30 seconds. I'm just laughing because you, like, literally can't see anything, and it doesn't even get better when you're in the pipe. I started skiing when I was three years old. And when I was seven, I wanted to take my skiing to the next level and join a team. I was the only girl on my team. I was put down at first. Nobody wanted to ride the chairlift with me. I grew up in a very male-dominated sport. I was the only girl on my ski team until I was 14 years old. And infinite times that I've sat on the chair and heard someone just offhandedly remark, oh, I'm skiing like a girl today. I'm skiing so bad. And just think about, you know, even if it's not directed at me, if I'm eight, how does that impact you? I felt this unjust burden to carry all of womanhood. Because if I wasn't good, then I was just confirming all of these subconscious biases about women and their ability to perform in sports. And so I found the best way to kind of shut up the, you know, 25-year-old who's just, like, talking smack to his friend is actually just to be better than them. Train like I'm competing. Be like I'm training. She's been so comfortable. She's just having fun out there on course. Yeah, here we are. I do it all the time. It's a party in here. I do three events in free skiing. Slopestyle. Halfpipe. And the final event that I do is big air. Aileen Gu, she is dominating this contest. One, the halfpipe. One, the slopestyle. Nobody else has ever done that at the Free Ski World Championships. And it's Aileen Gu with yet another gold medal in her X Games rookie performance. Three medals in three events, two of them gold. Made history out here at X Games Aspen 2021. Although being a girl in a male-dominated sport can be difficult, I'm actually thankful that I've had the experiences that I had. Life is going to be a bumpy road for all of us. And building resiliency early on is important. So great to have Aileen back here at X Games. Unfortunately, one of her hips is really bothering her. You can kind of see her flinch there. Aileen! She does not look like she's hurting out there at all tonight. She said, take that right hip. I'm not going to be phased. Oh my goodness. She's over 10 feet. Wow! So much resilience from this young woman. I am so, so impressed. Yeah, there you go. Pain is temporary. This is probably one of the hardest things I've had to do. I've never skied with pain like this before. Just excruciating, constant. Can barely walk right now, honestly. It's all about pushing the sport. It's all about doing our best, conquering ourselves time and time again. Thank you everybody for all the support. You really got me through it. Aileen Gu, our gold medalist, proving why she is the best. Wow! I was so fortunate that I got to pick the three things that I love most, sports, academics, and fashion, and just make that into my life. And so the fact that I've been able to get a platform while doing that, makes me feel like I have a responsibility to other young women, and other young people, frankly, to allow them to uplift their own voices too. You're doing this, all of this here in Hong Kong, how many cities are you going to be in? I'm going to be in five cities over the next four days, and then I'll be competing on the fifth day. So... See you soon, you guys. Pretty much only eating in the car. One thing I'm kind of stressed about is that I'm doing so much right before a contest. Hello, hello! So happy to be here tonight. Usually I try to keep the days leading up to it pretty open, but right now I'm pretty... packed. I shot this when I was like 16. This was their first issue, and now it's their what, five year anniversary? So, shooting the anniversary edition. It'll be fine. Good little full circle moment. I came in contact with fashion for the first time when I was 14, 15 years old. It was just so different from everything that I knew. And being in the fashion industry has opened my eyes to so much. I think I'm really happy. And has taught me so much about myself and the world. Because before that, I felt I had to look like a boy, dress like a boy, even just to make friends. Being like a boy was kind of the safest way to operate. Until I discovered the fashion industry. I realized that there's so much expressiveness to be had, to exist, to present, and to be authentic to yourself. That was really cool. I feel like I was doing statue moments. It was fun. I think I was a really different person before I was 14, honestly. And growing into my femininity in a meaningful way was super impactful for me. Five years ago. Crazy. That's why I'm really fixated on modern femininity and redefining the paradigm as to what a woman is, what a woman can do, what makes someone feminine. You don't have to look a certain way to be powerful. You don't have to compromise on how you look, how you express yourself or your sense of style while being in an extreme sport or being in any male-dominated space. Let's go! Feels so good! We gotta go. Yes. Okay. What else? I am a full-time student. I only applied to one school. I wanted to go to Stanford. I kind of had my heart set on it from a very young age. Today is the day. Today is December 11th. And for those of you who don't know, that is the day that Stanford releases their restrictive early action decisions. I got in! Oh my god, I got in! I'm kind of just studying whenever I can. My certificate of achievement for reading the first chapter. The work gotta get done, so... I never sacrificed education and I think that that has worked to my advantage so massively. The better you're able to learn and absorb information, the more efficient you can be no matter what you're doing. For example, when I'm on snow, I feel I'm able to utilize visualization techniques more scientifically. Aileen Guz. Not only is she a talented skier, but she's pretty smart too. Earned herself an early acceptance to Stanford University. Yeah, that's smarter than me. Putting that brainpower to work here. Adding just little additional spins to make the run that much harder. It's the way that I understand physics of a trick. She's a great technician on the skis. She has so much technicality. Look at that going for the A-Hall signature Buick grab. You don't see anybody else other than Alex Hall in the men's field doing that one. The way that I can break down psychology and even understand myself. She can handle the pressure. We know that. Just the sheer determination and will that she has. You can stay in school and still be a really successful athlete and in fact, allowing your education to bolster your success. Today we have our first day of World Cup training. Like, I couldn't sleep last night. I had this recurring nightmare that I was getting interviewed and being filmed while I was sleeping. And I was like, I have to go to sleep, I have to go to sleep. And then I would wake up and be hallucinating and looking around and there was no one in my room. And then I would go to sleep again and I would be interviewed. So, I don't know. I really just need to get out of my own head. I think I've been doing a little too much media recently. But, okay. Good luck. Let's go. No, no, no more. Okay. Actually concussed myself that training. I was lying in a dark room with no devices, no light, no stimulation for two days before the contest itself. Another chaotic morning. Today's gonna be a long day. I just, like, really can't fall again. On the day itself, I felt terrible. First run, I fall again and hit my head again. That was enough to, at the very least, shake my confidence. She's really, really nervous. Very, very, because of the fall. It's very unlike her to be this nervous. It was a deeply mental game to just put down a second run. People ask me, is it not difficult that you have, you know, these records to upkeep, this win streak to uphold. Yes and no. I face each contest ahead of me as though it's a new one. Just because you've done well or poorly in the past is no indication for how you will perform in the future. I'm so grateful and so fortunate to have the platform that I do, that I'm able to represent not just myself when I ski, but actually the sport and particularly women's skiing. Hopefully beyond just competing, I will be able to leave some broader impact, leave a legacy, leave a movement, something that can impact generations beyond ourselves. My experiences have made me more tenacious. Aileen Gu, setting new records again today. This is your 17th World Cup win. It's also your 14th straight halfpipe podium with such a new record. And I encourage you all to step out of your comfort zone to show the boys that girls are just as powerful as they are. Thank you.