A traitor and a thief! …The savior of China’s women’s gold medalist has turned around and is now under heavy criticism for returning to Japan after a 10-month absence. | FRIDAY DIGITAL

A traitor and a thief! …The savior of China’s women’s gold medalist has turned around and is now under heavy criticism for returning to Japan after a 10-month absence.

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Tani showing the three medals he won in front of the Great Hall of the People after the Beijing Olympics (PHOTO: AP/Afro)

Traitor!

[Claire] A thief with a big heart who’s after money!

There is a woman who has been bashing on the Chinese Internet. She is Gu Ailing (Eileen Gu, 19), who won a gold and three silver medals in women’s freestyle skiing at the Beijing Winter Olympics held last February. Gu, who won three medals (gold in big air and halfpipe, silver in slopestyle), has been called “China’s savior. How did a national hero come to be in a situation where he was subjected to so much criticism?

Let us begin with a profile of Gu.

He was born in San Francisco, California, in September 2003 to an American father and a Chinese mother. I have represented the United States in the World Championships. He holds an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Stanford University. She has also worked as a model for “Gucci” and “Louis Vuitton.

It was in June 2007 that she suddenly applied to change her nationality to Chinese. She said at the time that she wanted to compete in the Beijing Olympics, explaining at the time, “I would prefer to be a Chinese (rather than a US citizen). China is my home,” she said at the time. In China, she became a popular figure, appearing in TV programs and commercials.

Advertisements for more than 20 companies cost 10 billion yen.

Tani is also active as a model (PHOTO: REX/Afro)

China will win the most medals in history at the Beijing Olympics. The number of gold medals is 9, far exceeding the record number of gold medals at the ’10 Vancouver Olympics (5). The total number of medals jumped to 15 from the same event and the Torino Olympics in 2006 (11). Tani was the driving force behind the success.

After the Beijing Olympics, Tani’s popularity rose even higher: she was chosen to appear in advertisements for more than 20 companies, with contracts worth nearly 10 billion yen. It is said that she received approximately 11.5 billion yen from the Chinese authorities as a medalist.

But the fever took a turn. However, the fever took a turn for the worse, and Tani suddenly became a dark hero. The problem was a comment made in an interview with the U.S. newspaper “USA Today.

He said, ‘After the Olympics, I’m going back to the United States to study at Stanford University. I can’t say for sure whether I will compete in the future,” he said, without specifying whether he would continue to compete for China. The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, quoted Tani in an interview. The Internet immediately reacted. Don’t ever come to China again! and “Don’t come to China again!

True to his word, Gu returned to the U.S. last April and continued his studies at Stanford University.

It was in March of this year that Tani stepped on Chinese soil for the first time in about 10 months. When he arrived in Shanghai, he posted on his social networking site that he was training at a gym.

In China, there is still a strong backlash against Tani. There are some positive comments on the Internet, such as, “Well done for coming back,” but there are also many harsh comments, such as, “Did you come here to ask for money again? The purpose of Tani’s visit to China is unknown, but there is no doubt that she has been the subject of controversy in China. Depending on which country she chooses as her base of operations in the future, her athletic career will be greatly affected.

The “U.S.-China problem” for the Olympic gold medalist. The “U.S.-China problem” involving the Olympic gold medalist is likely to continue for some time in China, with a mixture of praise and criticism.

Tani is also active as a model (PHOTO: REX/Afro)
Tani is also active as a model (PHOTO: REX/Afro)
Tani is also active as a model (PHOTO: REX/Afro)
Tani’s performance at the Beijing Olympics attracted worldwide attention (PHOT: AFP/Afro)
Tani showed a big smile on the podium (PHOTO:AFP/Afro)
  • PHOTO AP/Afro

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