Winter Olympics: Chinese freestyle ski star Eileen Gu’s mother gives advice to parents hoping to raise a champion
- Eileen Gu comes from a high-achieving family based in the US, and attracted significant attention when she decided to compete for China
- Her mother took her to Beijing for intensive study as a young girl and spent 8 hours driving her to skiing fields every weekend
Sleeping for 10 hours a day is the number one tip from Eileen Gu’s mother for parents hoping to raise a high-achiever.
The teenager, also known by her Chinese name Gu Ailing, has received overwhelming praise and admiration in mainland China; not only as a sporting superstar but also as a “genius” and a “top student” on account of her admission to prestigious US institution Stanford University in 2020.
Her mother Gu Yan said she encouraged her daughter to have enough sleep every day.
02:20
Eileen Gu, the US-born freestyle ski star representing China at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games
“When she was a little girl, I would let her sleep up to 15 hours a day. Then 13 hours when she was a primary school student. Now she sleeps 10 hours a day. Without adequate sleep, how can one have the energy to play?” said the senior Gu, news website Red Star News reported.