Olympic ski champion Eileen Gu to tackle Paris 2024 public marathon, adding another challenge to her athletics feats

In the year of a Summer Olympics, we don’t often hear from the stars of a Winter Games.

Yet People’s Republic of China freestyle ski champion Eileen Gu has other plans.

The two-time gold medallist has revealed that she’ll be taking part in the public marathon at Paris 2024 on Saturday, 10 August.

Gu captured the hearts of Chinese fans when she won gold in big air and halfpipe, as well as bronze in slopestyle at Beijing 2022, becoming the youngest gold medallist in freestyle skiing.

Eileen Gu is a model pro

Alongside freestyle skiing, Gu is known for her modelling career, which has seen her front the cover of several publications including Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Vogue.

Gu was also an Olympic torchbearer ahead of Paris 2024 as she helped carry the Olympic Torch through Loire Atlantique.

And soon, she’ll be able to add Olympic marathon runner to her long list of accomplishments.

“I have a little secret to share with you,” she told the media earlier this week as she watched Chinese duo Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi take gold in the women’s synchronised 10m platform event.

“I will be running a marathon in Paris. It is part of the Olympics marathon, but for the public. It will be my first marathon.”

The three-time Olympic medallist, who switched from representing the USA to China in 2019, went on to reveal that she has only had around three weeks of training so far compared to the recommended 16 weeks for a marathon.

Following in the footsteps of Olympic athletes

For the first time ever, a public marathon, otherwise known as the Mass Participation Marathon, will follow the same route as the official Paris 2024 Olympic marathon, allowing members of the public to push their limits and follow in the footsteps of Olympic athletes.

With 20,024 people set to take part, the marathon will begin at the Hôtel de Ville at 9 p.m. and finish on the Esplanade des Invalides, passing through Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, Sèvres, Ville d’Avray, Versailles, Viroflay, Chaville, Meudon and Issy-les-Moulineaux.

posted Thursday August 1st
by Eleanor Lee