Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Gu shared her personal and emotional connection to China's first freeski competition. "I was 'coaching' a small Chinese trampoline summer camp in Beijing when we all gathered in front of the TV to watch the Olympic 2022 bid. Even then, I was resolute to achieve the two equally ambitious goals of 1) competing in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and 2) spreading the (then-unheard of) sport of freeskiing in China," Gu wrote on Instagram. "Having been introduced to the sport growing up in the US, I wanted to encourage Chinese skiers the same way my American role models inspired me. Nine years ago, I pitched the idea of a freeski competition. The result was the first slopestyle competition in China. Ever."
Interest in winter sports in China has increased astronomically over the last decade. Gu added that more than 300 million Chinese people have started playing winter sports, a reference to a target set by the Olympic organisers. "I've always said my goal is to globally spread the sport I love to kids, especially girls, and to shift sport culture toward one motivated by passion . . . I'm blown away by how far we have come."