An unusual battle is unfolding over the Winter Olympics in Milan - not on the slopes or in the rinks, but on the internet.
At its heart are Eileen Gu, a freestyle skier, and Alysa Liu, a figure-skater. They have a lot in common: both are young women of American-Chinese heritage who were born and raised in the US. And they are champions in their field.
And yet, one is being hailed a trailblazer, while the other is deemed a traitor. At least that's the case in the eyes of some in the US. On Chinese social media, it's the other way around.
Why? Liu, the daughter of a political activist who fled China after a deadly crackdown, is competing under the US flag. And Gu, whose mother moved to the US for higher education, often spent her childhood summers visiting Beijing. She is representing China in Milan.
That seems to rankle with some Americans. Eileen Gu competes for China and gets paid millions to do it. Alysa Liu is the daughter of a Chinese immigrant who participated in the Tiananmen Square protests. In a world of Eileen Gus, be an Alysa Liu, said one post on X.
Much of this backlash appears to be driven by political commentators and a vocal minority on X, rather than the broader public or the sporting world. The underlying current is the competition between the US and China - the world's two biggest economies are constantly vying for an edge in everything, from trade to tech.
And so, a narrow yet vociferous slice of the internet is pitting two women against each other, questioning their loyalty and identity, while interrogating their immigrant experiences - and adding to the pressure they already face as sporting figures.
Known in China by her nickname Snow Princess, Eileen Gu was born in California to a Chinese mother and American father. Gu grew up with a foot firmly in both worlds, spending her summers in Beijing and the rest of her term at a private school in San Francisco. She began freeskiing at the age of three in the Lake Tahoe region and joined the Northstar California Resort freeskiing team at the age of eight. She won her first national championship just a year later.
She initially skied for the US before switching to Team China in 2019 in preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which took place in the Chinese capital Beijing. Gu said she wanted to inspire millions of young people in Beijing - my mother's birthplace. The decision earned her the praise of many in China, and she went on to win two golds and one silver in the 2022 Olympics. Millions on social media in China follow her every move, leaving heart-shaped emojis under her posts.
In contrast, Alysa Liu, the 20-year-old daughter of Arthur Liu who fled China after taking part in the Tiananmen Square protests, has a tumultuous past. Having become the youngest-ever athlete to win the US women's figure skating championship at age 13, Liu's family history lends her considerable sympathy among American audiences, particularly due to the political implications of her father's activism.
As both athletes continue to compete, the wider implications of their decisions on national identity and belonging become increasingly pronounced in the shadow of the ongoing rivalry between the US and China. As two women who embody the complexities of dual-nationality, their journeys highlight the ever-blurring lines of nationality, loyalty, and public identity in a world defined by contention.
