Eileen Gu's $23M Endorsement Empire Outsmarts Her Skiing Returns

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu—the 2022 Olympic champion and a standout in Forbes’ 2025 earnings—made about $23.1 million in 2025-26, mostly from off‑snow endorsements rather than prize money from skiing (roughly $0.1 million on the slopes). Her deals span Porsche, Red Bull, IWC, Anta, Bosideng, Mengniu, TCL, and more, supported by a dual American-Chinese identity and large cross‑market social reach (7 million on Weibo, 5 million on Instagram). Industry observers call her a “perfect storm” of talent and branding, making her one of the most lucrative athletes despite skiing not being a major sport in either market. She aims to defend her big air and halfpipe Olympic titles at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games as her commercial profile continues to outpace on‑court earnings.