Straddling two different worlds

U.S.-born Eileen Ailing Gu, competing for her mother's native China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, became the first woman to win three freestyle skiing medals in a single Games. The 18-year-old was lionized by Chinese state media and nationalistic netizens as a symbol of national glory and showered with lucrative advertising deals. In the U.S., some voices questioned her loyalties and her unwillingness to discuss China's human rights situation. Analysts say Gu will have to tread a careful path in the face of government pressure to show loyalty to China, excitable online fans, and a media that, if directed, could turn on her abruptly over miscues or mild criticism. Gu's balancing act plays out while China-U.S. relations are at their worst in decades.