'Being' Eileen Gu

Before Eileen Gu was a household name, before the two gold medals and the Sports Illustrated covers and the billion-dollar brand deals — we were with her at X Games Aspen, watching her compete in front of a national television audience for one of the biggest moments of her young career.

This piece — "Being: Eileen Gu" — was filmed on location during X Games Aspen and aired nationally on ESPN and ABC. The goal was the same one we always come back to: get past the highlight reel and show who an athlete

actually is.

At the time, Eileen was one of freeskiing's most exciting prospects — a dual US-Chinese citizen who had already started making noise on the World Cup circuit. But she hadn't yet stepped onto the Olympic stage. X Games Aspen

was a proving ground. A place where the ski world pays attention, and where careers get defined.

What we captured in this piece was that rare in-between space — the pressure and the calm that coexist in a competitor right before everything changes. The focus in her eyes at the top of the pipe. The humor and lightness

off the hill. The personality that was already larger than most people realized.

Eileen went on to win two gold medals and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics — becoming one of the most decorated athletes in a single Winter Games. She became the face of a generation, representing both the United States and China on the world stage.

We were lucky enough to be there when she was just starting to become that person. This film is a record of that moment.

Filmed and edited by Kyle Decker / The Bureau Media.