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China's naturalised Olympians walk fine line between love and scorn
Eileen Gu and Beverly Zhu were born and raised in the US before deciding to represent China, but one has inspired adulation among Chinese fans while the other endured a torrent of online abuse.
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China's Gu Ailing Eileen reacts as she competes in the freestyle skiing women's freeski big air final run during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Big Air Shougang in Beijing on February 8, 2022. (AFP/Manan Vatsyayana)
E
ileen Gu and Beverly Zhu were both born and raised in the US before deciding to represent China, but their contrasting fortunes at the Beijing Olympics highlight the fine line between love and condemnation for the host nation's naturalised athletes.
Freestyle skier Gu has inspired ecstasy and adulation among Chinese fans, but figure skater Zhu has endured a torrent of online abuse after two blunder-filled performances.
The 18-year-old Gu -- known as Gu Ailing in China -- cemented herself as one of the faces of the Games by winning gold in the inaugural women's Big Air on Tuesday.
"Gu Ailing is taking part in her first Winter Olympics but still landed a 1620 and won gold -- she is so, so awesome!" said one widely shared social media post, referring to the high-stakes trick that sealed her win.
"So happy for you," said another. "Can't wait to see even more amazing performances from you!"
The mood was wildly different for Zhu, who competes under her Chinese name Zhu Yi.
The 19-year-old broke down in tears on Monday after falling twice during her routine, after a tumble the previous day almost cost China a place in the final.
