ZHANGJIAKOU, China — Eileen Gu completed her stirring run through the Beijing Olympics, winning two gold medals and a silver in freestyle skiing. The 18-year-old Californian, competing for her mother's home country, China, has become a global celebrity — a budding model for luxury brands, a ubiquitous spokeswoman in Chinese ads, a darling of a doting state news media and a bit of a controversial figure who has tried to steer clear of geopolitics.
She was the star of freestyle skiing for most of the past two weeks. Gu won gold in dramatic fashion in big air, taking first place on her last run.