Eileen Gu Lands ‘Time’ Magazine Cover Just After Qualifying for Milan Cortina Games

The freestyle skier will hit the slopes at the 2026 global games in search of more medals for her already impressive collection.

Eileen Gu / TheStewartofNY/Getty Images

Just over a year ago, 22-year-old freestyle skier Eileen Gu notched the cover of Vogue Hong Kong. Now, just weeks before she heads to Milano Cortina to compete in her second-ever Olympic Games, the three-time medalist is ringing in another front-page feat—this time, with TIME.

The publication debuted its latest cover on Instagram with Gu front and center, wrapped in an ivory fur garment, on Thursday, Jan. 22. The accolade, coupled with an in-depth cover story and striking photo shoot of the San Francisco native, who represented the People’s Republic of China and the Beijing Games in 2020.

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Gu took to her own page to reflect on the feat, and she debuted three frames from her time on set with the publication. She detailed, “From the very beginning, my goal in skiing has remained consistent: to bring the sport to more young people, especially girls, worldwide. As I’ve grown older, I’ve expanded that scope to include two other pillars - fashion and education.”

The multitalented model’s reign has certainly extended far beyond the slopes. She graced the runway for designer labels like Louis Vuitton, photographed campaigns for Posche and IWC Schaffhausen, and is in the midst of earning a Stanford University degree—though, she “took 2025 off from school,” TIME explained in its Instagram post, in an effort to focus on Milano Cortina.

“More than anything, I hope that young people today feel freed from the expectation to warp their true passions to fit into an arbitrary and predetermined box. ‘Athlete.’ ‘Student.’ ‘Model.’ … let’s make multi-hyphenate the norm,” Gu continued, before leaving her 2.2 million followers some words of wisdom. “And to young people in particular - don’t wait to start. Don’t delay your success until tomorrow. The best time is now. I believe in you!!”

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The message has already reached more game-changing athletes, who headed to the comment section of Gu’s post to cheer her on. In just two weeks, she’ll look to extend her résumé even further at Milan Cortina, when the competition commences on Feb. 6. Freestyling skiing events, however, start the following day on Feb. 7.

“Amazing!!! ❤️,” two-time Paralympic medalist,Ali Truwit penned to the Gu’s post.

Olympic alpine skier Lindsey Vonn—who will also be heading to the global games next month—chimed in, “Cover girls! ❤️.” The three-time medalist was featured on the front page of SELF as its January cover star, and also scored a cover spot with TIME in Oct. 2025.

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