Double Winter Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu has sent a message of support to Shanghai as the city battles a wave of Covid-19 infections, with frustrations among residents reaching boiling point over lockdowns. Shanghai reported its first deaths from the current Covid-19 wave on Monday after more than two weeks of lockdown. All 16 districts across the city of 25 million people have adopted a strategy of “static management of the whole region” to stop the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Videos circulating on social media last week showed angry residents protesting and clashing with police, as well as venting their anger by screaming in unison from their balconies. “My heart is with the strong and beautiful people of Shanghai,” 18-year-old Gu wrote in a post on her Instagram story. US-born Gu, who lives in California, continued her media tour of China at the weekend, making an appearance at the China Ice and Snow Night Gala, an event held to pay tribute to those who contributed to the Beijing Games The part-time model – who won gold in the big air and half-pipe events in Beijing in February, and silver in slopestyle – spoke about empowering young people to “change the world”. “As young people, we are constantly bombarded by external input,” she said on stage, in footage posted on her Instagram account. “Maybe it’s the voices of our parents, the influence of social media, or even the counsel of our friends. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eileen Gu 🖤🌈🧊🐲 (@eileen_gu_) “But tonight, I want to ask you as a young person, what is your voice? Who are you, as an individual, and how will you change the world? Let’s talk about our pervasive cultural definitions of beauty first.” Gu – known as Gu Ailing in China – also shared a video clip of herself being mobbed by adoring young fans backstage at the event. “Honoured to have spoken on the power we as young people hold to change the world, from beauty standards to sport culture, at the China Central TV Gala tonight,” she wrote in her post. Eileen Gu’s love for Chinese food catches Xi Jinping’s attention “One voice at a time, the next generation is ready to make waves and bridge divides through genuine passion, open-minded friendships, and empowered mindsets. Many hugs & thank u for all the love.” Gu also showed off her musical talent again, playing renowned French pianist Richard Claydermans’s Souvenirs d’enfance on the piano. “Skiing is the source of most of my confidence,” added Gu, who received a personal shout-out from Chinese President Xi Jinping this month at an awards ceremony for the country’s Olympians at the Great Hall of the People. #GuAiling showed her talent beyond sports on Saturday at the China Ice and Snow Night Gala. Gu put on a show by playing renowned French pianist Richard Claydermans's Souvenirs d'enfance on the piano. #China pic.twitter.com/NJTv5fskZw — Bridging News (@BridgingNews_) April 17, 2022 “At eight years old, when I began to learn skiing, I was the only girl in the team. I found friendship and confidence through skiing. My goal is letting more Chinese teenagers step out of their comfort zones and become better people through sports.” Gu’s teammate and fellow Beijing 2022 star Su Yiming, who won snowboarding gold in the big air and silver in slopestyle, also got in on the fun. The 18-year-old, disguised as a guitar player, played the Chinese song Chengdu via an online video stream to his Japanese coach Yasuhiro Sato, whom he said had a “life-changing” influence on him. “I wanted to surprise him in a different way. He loved this song very much,” Su said. “He changed my understanding of snowboarding in a much deeper way. I was very lucky to know him as soon as I decided to go professional.”