At only 22 years old, Eileen Gu is one of the best freestyle skiers in the world—amassing four Olympic medals to her name. She’s also a student at Stanford University studying international relations, currently on leave for the 2026 Milan–Cortina Olympic Games.
But instead of waiting to have a degree to her name to get her career off the ground, she’s dived in head-first. Gu pulled in $23.1 million last year alone, according to Forbes, ranking her the fourth-highest-paid woman in sports, ahead of stars like Naomi Osaka and Caitlin Clark.
“It’s important to show young people that you don’t have to wait until you’re older. You can do it all now,” Gu told TIME.
At a time when success can feel unreachable for Gen Z due uncertainty brought by AI and the economy—Gu’s mantra is straightforward: age is not a limitation. Start that side hustle sooner, rather than later.
It’s something she learned first-hand: Gu’s financial windfalls are largely not from winning competitions and setting world records—it’s from her balancing her self-branding and modeling career. She’s landed deals with companies like Red Bull, Porsche, and TCL.
