American-born Olympian Eileen Gu scored millions from China in 2025 – a staggering payout exposed in a public budget before officials quickly scrubbed her name from the record, according to a report.
The champion freestyle skier, who competes for China, cashed in on a jaw-dropping $6.6 million from the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau last year – a hefty sum that was shared with fellow US-born Olympian figure skater Zhu Yi, according to the country’s budget, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Yi – who renounced her US citizenship – also performs under China’s flag.
The fiscal report shows that the star athletes were also slated to pocket a jaw-dropping $14 million, or nearly 100 million yuan, over the past three years from the sports bureau.
The latest chunk was tied to qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the outlet reported.
The eye-watering payday came to light after China’s budget, released in early 2025, accidentally named both Gu and Yi.
The faux pas resulted in officials erasing both names from the record, but not before the mega cash hauls ignited fury among China’s cash-strapped public, whose social media gripes also mysteriously vanished, according to the Journal.
It’s unclear just how much each athlete was paid from the pot of money, though the windfall only boosted Gu’s already massive bankroll.
The 22-year-old, who sparked controversy during the 2022 Winter Games over her decision to represent her mother’s native China, has made a whopping $23 million from off-field endorsements and netted an estimated $100,000 from competitions, Forbes reported.
The two-time gold and silver medalist earned about $40,000 for World Cup slopestyle and halfpipe triumphs in January 2025 and December 2025, respectively, according to the outlet.
She also took home $55,000 for a top finish in the freeskiing halfpipe event at Event Two: China in the Snow League in December.
Gru has modeled for luxe brands like Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton and boasts a lengthy list of endorsements, ranging from Porsche, Red Bull and IWC Schaffhausen, per Forbes.
The 2026 Milan Cortina Games marks her second Olympics, where she secured her second career silver medal.
Gu made her Olympic debut in Beijing four years ago, winning gold in women’s freeski big air and halfpipe, and silver in slopestyle.
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