Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu came out of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as two of the most successful athletes in this year’s edition of the Games.
Liu won two gold medals — in the team and individual competitions. The 20-year-old became the first female figure skater to win an individual gold for the United States in the Olympics since 2002.
Gu, on the other hand, established herself as the most decorated freestyle skier of all time. She entered the 2026 Games with three Olympic medals. She added three more in Milan Cortina — two silvers and a gold — making her the only six-time Olympic medalist in the sport.
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Another thing that Liu and Gu share is their heritage. Both are half-Chinese Americans who grew up in the Bay Area. Liu was raised in Oakland, while Gu is a San Francisco native.
The major difference between them is that Liu represents the U.S. Gu, on the other hand, opted to ski for China.
In a recent interview, Liu was asked to comment on the narrative that she and Gu opted to represent different countries. The reigning World Figure Skating champion had nothing but praise for Gu.
“Oh my god, I think that this course is really silly because we're both half Chinese,” Liu told Newsweek. “She's great. And also, I've known her, I met her when I was like 13, and she's super sweet. She's super athletic. I feel like her love of the game, it's there.”
Liu ended by saying that she believes “some people are a bit hypocritical.” She did not explain her statement further, though.
Liu quickly drew reactions from fans for her remarks on Gu.
“Alysa too smart to get trapped into the pitting of two phenomenal athletes against each other,” a reaction on Instagram read.
“Bay Area girls!! They sung karaoke together!” another said.
“You will never see her tear anyone down! Especially another woman,” declared a supporter.
“You can’t make her trash talk,” a comment read.
“❤️❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏👏👏” posted a fan.
“Hi mommy @alysaxliu,” wrote another.
Liu’s father, Arthur Liu, is a Chinese activist who went into exile in the United States in 1989. She, along with her four younger siblings, was all born via surrogacy.
As for Gu, her mother, Yan Gu, is a first-generation Chinese immigrant. Gu’s father is American.