Olympic icon Eileen Gu has suffered a serious injury after a scary accident while training, she revealed.

The freestyle skier, who was born in the United States but switched to represent China ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, claimed she was involved in a ‘very horrific accident,’ during a training session in New Zealand. 

The Winter Games poster girl, who holds the record for the most freestyle skiing World Cup titles in history, was flown to Christchurch Hospital for further testing. 

Eyewitnesses reported seeing Gu being taken to the hospital on a stretcher, according to the South China Morning Post.

‘Unfortunately, a very terrible accident occurred yesterday due to human error,’ Gu wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

‘I hope I can return to the snow soon, but I’m still waiting for confirmation from the expert team.’ 

Olympic icon Eileen Gu has suffered a serious injury after a scary accident while training

The freestyle skier, pictured at the 2023 Victoria’s Secret show, was training in New Zealand

However, the 21-year-old appeared to suggest that an overly-eager fan was to blame for the incident. 

‘I have to concentrate fully during training, especially when I’m preparing for the start,’ the double Olympic champion wrote, while thanking fans for their support.

‘Being interrupted is extremely dangerous, and even on the chairlift, I need to focus on visualizing and thinking through my movements,’ she added. ‘To save time, I’m skipping lunch breaks and minimizing bathroom visits.’ 

However, she did not confirm any further details. 

Gu, who made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut this year, withdrew from the big air and halfpipe competitions at X Games Aspen 2025 after also falling and injuring herself.

Her training session in New Zealand reportedly marked her first time back on the snow since her withdrawal. 

Despite only being 21, Gu already boasts a glittering career, having won two gold medals and a silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, along with 15 World Cup titles and four X Games medals. 

Growing up in San Francisco, learning to ski in Lake Tahoe, and being immersed in American culture, Gu represented Team USA until the age of 15 when she switched to the country of her mother’s birth. She’s fluent in both Mandarin and English.

Born in the United States, Gu switched to represent her mom’s homeland China at age 15 

The Olympic champion earned her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut earlier this year 

The 21-year-old has enjoyed lavish endorsements away from the slopes

Born in the States to an American father, Gu’s mother Yan, a keen skier herself, was the catalyst for her career on the slopes, booking her lessons so her daughter could keep up with her. 

And under the Five-star Red Flag Gu’s career has soared – despite the controversy surrounding her switch. 

Despite her switch, Gu’s career has continued to blossom away from the slopes as well with American brands continuing to throw endorsement deals at her. 

Over the years, she has enjoyed significant sponsorship deals from American brands like Cadillac, Tiffany’s, Visa, Therabody, Victoria’s Secret and Oakley.

Last year, Gu emerged as the second highest paid female athlete, according to Sportico. She earned a staggering $22million in 2024, mainly from her endorsement deals.

The skier beat out the likes of Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark on the rankings with tennis sensation Coco Gauff coming out on top. 

Having been named to the Time100 & Forbes 30 under 30 lists, Gu has earned 2 million followers on Instagram.  

Meanwhile, in China, where she is known as ‘Gu Ailing’, ‘the snow princess’, Gu boasts a massive 6.7 million followers on Weibo.  

Gu has won two gold medals and a silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, along with 15 World Cup titles and four X Games medals

Last year, Gu emerged as the second highest paid female athlete, earning a staggering $22m

Throw in a place at Stanford and a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit gig, and Gu is considered the golden girl of winter sports. 

Before this weekend’s accident, Gu had been expected to next compete in December at this season’s Snow League, where she is also a brand ambassador, at Secret Garden in Beijing.

The incident comes just six months before next year’s Winter Olympics, which will take place at Milano Cortina in Italy from February 6 to 22.