American-born skiing prodigy Eileen Gu skyrocketed to huge fame after she won a gold medal for China on Feb. 8 in the women’s freeski big air event at the Beijing Winter Olympics The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top sports body sent a letter to her and her teammates on the same day, congratulating them for claiming the first gold for China on snow. “Score greater glory for the party [the CCP] and the people,” urged China’s Winter Sports Administrative Center in the congratulatory letter. Gu is not the only foreign-sourced athlete in the China team, but she is currently the biggest star in this year’s Olympics. Images of the 18-year old skier and fashion model, known in China as Ailing, are seen everywhere in the host country—on TV screens and billboards, in newspapers and on digital news, as well as across Chinese social media platforms. She also appeared in a …