Gu Ailing, the United States-born Olympic skiing gold medalist, who is also known as Eileen Gu, said that she competed for China to inspire the nation's young girls to get interested in the sport.
The freestyle skier won three medals at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games in February. She shared her thoughts on Tuesday at an event in New York, where she was among those honored as being among Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2022, and she discussed her motivation and the possible roles she may play after the Olympics.
谷爱凌进一步解释称，她在冬奥的表现激励了很多年轻女孩成为更好的自己。而收到粉丝朋友的感谢，也反过来鼓舞了她，她感觉这种共同进步的良性循环非常美妙。
Asked whether she had second thoughts about her decision to represent China in the Olympics, considering the current tension between the US and China, Gu said not at all.
"No, I don't have any regrets," she said, because every day on her social media she receives messages from hundreds of young girls worldwide who call her their inspiration.
That "positive reinforcement cycle" motivated Gu.
"Sports are a shared experience transcending gender, age, race, background and culture," Gu said, adding that they can bring about cultural exchanges, communication and uplift one another, generating a cycle of positivity.
谷爱凌还表示，她将担任美国申办2030年盐湖城冬季奥运会的大使。她表示，“这正是一个全球主义的美好案例，我们能用滑雪、体育和冬季运动把人们连接起来。”
Gu also announced that she would be the ambassador for the US Winter Olympic Games bid in Salt Lake City in 2030. Gu said, "This is a beautiful example of globalism and the capacity that we can use skiing, we can use sports, we can use the winter sports to connect people."
此前丁俊晖担任过英国伦敦申奥大使，申雪、赵宏博担任过韩国平昌申奥大使。
记者：常君
来源：中国日报 TIME 21世纪英文报
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