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After an Olympics of victory and controversy, American-born Team China skier Eileen Gu was seen sharing a moment with another elite women’s athlete that is often at the center of cultural debates.
Gu posted an Instagram story of her and Clark at Milan Fashion Week on Thursday, just days after Gu won gold at the Winter Olympics. The two were seen sitting next to each other in the front row at Prada.
The photo of the two women’s sports superstars garnered mixed responses on social media, with some fans excited to see the two next to each other, while critics expressed disapproval, amid Gu’s decision to compete for China despite growing up in the U.S.
“Why is Caitlin cheapening her public image? Where is her publicist,” one critic wrote on X.
Another critic wrote, “What a poor decision by Caitlin Clark.”
Meanwhile, a fan celebrated, writing, “A superstar basketball player sat next to a superstar Olympian IN MILAN, go Caitlin that is so cool.”
Gu went to the fashion event shortly after the Milan Cortina games ended, as she has a second career as a fashion model, and has even walked runways in the past.
Gu’s attendance comes after the star skier broke down in tears after winning gold in the women’s halfpipe final on Sunday, revealing that her grandmother had died prior to the competition.
It concluded an Olympics in which she had to compete under the pressure of immense global scrutiny in response to her decision to compete for China seven years ago.
Gu was asked whether she feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics.”
“I do,” she said, according to USA Today. “So many athletes compete for a different country. . . . People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So, it’s not really about what they think it’s about.
“And also, because I win. Like, if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions.”
Meanwhile, Clark has become a folk hero for many Americans amid her excellence on the basketball court and historic feats in the WNBA and in college.
However, Clark has also been a target by a certain strand of WNBA fans and even current and former players.
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Criticism of Caitlin Clark stems primarily from her rapid ascension as the face of the WNBA, causing tension with veterans who feel her immense popularity overshadows their long-term contributions.
Some controversy around Clark has also been centered on her presence as a White woman in a predominantly Black sport, as some fans have argued Clark gets preferential treatment from the media due to her race, while other fans argue the exact opposite, and that she is targeted physically by other players during games.
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