FULL INTERVIEW: CGTN Europe's exclusive with Eileen Gu

CGTN Europe

Winter Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu has been appearing throughout the Olympics in Paris.  She congratulated Chinese diver and Olympic champion Quan Hongchan and took a photo with the Chinese relay swimming champions.   CGTN Europe spoke exclusively to the world champion who said: “I train like I’ve never won and I compete like I’ve never lost.”  #Paris2024 #EileenGu

Transcript

00:00Joined by a true global sporting superstar right now, Ninggu, how are you? How are you doing?

00:06I'm incredible. So happy to be here in Paris.

00:08You have been everywhere at these games. Absolutely everywhere I turn. Every time I turn on the TV, you're there.

00:14Those pictures of you and Chan Hongchan, the diver, they're wonderful, fantastic images.

00:20But amongst all the things you've seen so far from Team China, what's been the standout for you so far?

00:25And what are you looking forward to seeing?

00:27I have seen so many incredible events. The women's diving synchronized was incredible.

00:33Last night we also went and watched the Asia record-breaking performance by the medley team, the relay team.

00:40And my friend Zhang Yifei was competing and I got to see her and meet her and that was really exciting.

00:46Honestly, there have been so many incredible performances by the Chinese team and all the athletes here in Paris.

00:53Coming up, what are you looking forward to? Still a long way to go in these games.

00:56It's true. One thing that I'm really excited about is the public marathon.

01:00So that's going to be happening on the same day and the same course as the actual Olympic marathon.

01:05I got lucky enough to get an invite a little over a week ago.

01:09So I'm going to be training for this marathon in three weeks.

01:13I've never run a marathon before. I'm looking at your face.

01:17You're doing a marathon. You're doing it after three weeks notice.

01:20Yes. So this is kind of the reaction I've been getting.

01:24Good luck.

01:25I looked online for three-week marathon program and the only thing I saw was don't.

01:30I think it'll be okay.

01:33You'll be fine. I mean, come on, somebody who's fit as yourself, I'm sure you'll be fine.

01:36But how has the training gone? What have you been taught through your training regime?

01:39Okay, happily. First of all, I'm a very amateur runner. I would like to preface with that.

01:44So I did grow up running cross-country and track. And so that was my primary sport for a long time.

01:49And so I feel confident in just running generally, but I've never run that distance.

01:53I used to run 5Ks. So it's definitely been a big uptick in the mileage.

01:58I really went from running, you know, 15, 20 miles a week to 60.

02:02Just think of it as lots and lots of little 5Ks.

02:05Many of them. Quite a few of them.

02:08There's a small chance that I might be running around that track a little bit as well.

02:11I hope you are.

02:12We're going to have to try and spot you. You'll spot me.

02:14I'll be bright red, sweating and breathing far too heavily.

02:17Well, so will I. The elevation is going to be immense. 600 meters.

02:22Okay. Well, best of luck to you. We'll see how we get on with that.

02:26But you're here at the Summer Games.

02:29Does this light that fire inside of you looking ahead two years to Milan and thinking,

02:35I want to get back out there on the slopes. I want to get back out there and winning more golds.

02:39Absolutely. I think watching as a spectator has really made me take note of how much the competition is mental.

02:47So I've always said since I was 14, 15 and started competing professionally or on the professional tour,

02:53that anyone who makes finals has the capacity to win.

02:56But why are the ones who continue to win the stars per se?

03:03What makes them different?

03:04And I think that now I have a better understanding that it really is performing when it counts.

03:09Under pressure on that day. Not the day before. Not the day after.

03:12But really on the day that it counts. Peaking at the right time.

03:16So it's definitely been giving me insight into that.

03:19Of course, celebrating my friends, checking out the Olympic village,

03:23and cheering so loudly from the stands have all been incredible highlights as well.

03:28The mental side. Final bit on that.

03:30Is there something like a switch in your head that you have to switch over from?

03:34This is training day to this is game day. This is race day.

03:37How does that function in your mind with that?

03:40I have a saying for myself that I train like I've never won and I compete like I've never lost.

03:45So when it's competition day, I definitely have a switch in my head.

03:49I would like to think of myself as a pretty amicable, nice person.

03:53But you have to be a killer when it's competition day.

03:57And so I think, yeah, making a switch because I would love to be pleasant and fun with my friends.

04:01I'm not trying to be a murderer in my daily life.

04:05But yeah, there's time and place.

04:08Good stuff. Wonderful. Thank you so much for talking to us.

04:11Best of luck in two years time.

04:13Before we go, one final. Where are you off to next?

04:16And what is the big thing that you're looking forward to for the rest of the games?

04:21Tonight, I'm going to be going to swimming and try to make it to track and field as well.

04:26And then the rest of the games, I have friends competing in skateboarding.

04:29And I'm also really excited to be watching the breakdancing finals with President Thomas Bach on the 9th.

04:35Do you know they don't get to pick their music?

04:37What? That's what I've heard. They don't get to pick the music.

04:40You find out the music.

04:41And you like freestyle to the music.

04:43Exactly.

04:44That's so cool. I think that makes sense in terms of creating judging criteria,

04:48because otherwise everyone's performance is so good. How do you compare?

04:52Wow.

04:53I'm glad. That's the reaction I was looking for, because everybody else I say that to, they go,

04:56No, imagine you've just prepared.

04:59Sure.

05:00And you get something you've never heard before.

05:01Extemporaneous dancing. Wow. Incredible. I'm excited.

05:05We could talk to you all day, but I'm not allowed to because your time's precious.

05:09We've got to go, Elaine. Thanks very much for your time.

05:11Thank you. Really appreciate it. It was great talking to you.

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