The 18-year-old topped the podium with a clutch performance on Tuesday, but the triumph also put her in a precarious position amid ongoing political tension between the country where she lives and the country she represents at the Winter Games.
BEIJING — Eileen Gu flew through the air, athletic grace coated in mental toughness, a clutch third run in the big-air freestyle skiing event here, and it was everything these Winter Olympics should be, right until she landed.
Gu got her gold medal and China got its pawn. It is not clear whether Gu fully understands how thoroughly she is being used.