Paris, 8 May (Xinhua) -- When she came to Paris to attend the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony, Gu Ailing's schedule was very tight -- she "caught up with eight hours of homework" on the incoming flight, and insisted on running in the morning every day when she arrived in Paris, starting from 10 kilometers at every turn. The night before the award ceremony, she also submitted an assignment online.
Just as she did when she first started at the Lausanne Winter Youth Olympics three years ago, Gu has been trying to find a balance between various identities, and fortunately, she has been doing well along the way.
At the 2023 Laureus Awards Ceremony on the evening of the 8th, Gu Ailing was elected the best extreme athlete with her excellent performance of winning two golds and one silver at the Beijing Winter Olympics last year, becoming the first freestyle skier to win the Laureus Award, and also becoming another Chinese athlete to win awards in Lawrence after Liu Xiang, Yao Ming and Li Na.
On May 8, Gu Ailing, who won the Best Extreme Athlete of the Year Award, was displaying the trophy. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing
"I feel very honored to be associated with the names of these legendary athletes." After winning the award, Gu Ailing said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency, "So today I don't just want to celebrate my personal honor, but I hope to bring sports to the 'positive energy' of my life, such as love, passion, confidence, tenacity, and so on to more people." ”
Since entering the public eye, Gu Ailing has always been regarded as an omnipotent genius girl. She loves sports and became an Olympic champion in freestyle skiing, winning two Olympic gold medals; She did not delay her studies and went to the prestigious school Stanford with excellent grades; Her spare time life is also wonderful, and she can be seen frequently at film festivals and fashion weeks.
But in Gu Ailing's own view, all of this is hard-won, but her own efforts and dedication behind it are usually not seen.
On February 14, 2022, China's Gu Ailing was in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Zhuang
"Maybe my life seems particularly easy and smooth sailing, but that's not the case." Gu Ailing said, "Behind these surfaces, there are too many parts that everyone cannot see, and these things that cannot be seen are the most difficult." It's easy not to succeed, just like I'm always looking for time to catch up with my homework, always trying to find the best I can in training, which requires me to put in very, very much effort. Of course, I also feel very lucky to have the opportunity to do these things and be recognized. But really, really hard! ”
At the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympic Games, 16-year-old Gu Ailing won two golds and one silver in a blockbuster, and the first thing she had to do after training and competition every day was to return to the Youth Olympic Village to catch up on homework. That year, in order to better prepare for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Gu Ailing had to complete two years of high school in one year in order to graduate early. Not only did she do it, but she also got an acceptance letter from Stanford University after graduation.
On January 22, 2020, Gu Ailing showed off her three medals after the women's big air freestyle skiing medal ceremony at the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Yang
Today, three years later, 19-year-old Gu Ailing is already a freshman student, and with the aura of an Olympic champion, she appeared at the scene of the world's top honor hall in sports, and everything seems to have changed. But when she said she was still "fighting" to turn in an assignment the night before, everything seemed the same as three years ago.
How does Gu Ailing feel herself?
"I just feel busier and then things have to be harder, but other than that, professionally, I'm the same as I was three years ago. The same completion of school, the same skiing training, the same want to do everything the best, the same is also transmitting my ideas to the world, hoping that my efforts can inspire more people. None of that has changed. ”
"But on the other hand, I feel more mature than before, but there is nothing to say, anyone from 16 to 19 years old will become more mature." Gu Ailing said with a smile.
On May 8, Gu Ailing, who won the Best Extreme Athlete of the Year Award, was displaying the trophy. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing
In her opinion, a more mature manifestation is that she can face the negative and critical voices about herself on the Internet more calmly.
"There are a lot of rumors about me, but 90 percent of them are false, so I don't have to take them to heart either. Maybe when I was 15 years old, I would have been very sad to see some negative content, but now that I have grown up to 4 years old, I have a stronger heart, I know that some bad or even malicious comments will always happen, but I can already face it better. Gu Ailing said.