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One of the most intense moments for athletes is arguably the post-competition press.
Whether they have won and are jubilant and chatty — or have lost and are feeling their lowest imaginable, asking questions in a press conference needs to be done carefully with the utmost expertise and professionalism.
Eileen Gu is American-born but represents China and is the most decorated Olympic freestyle women’s skier ever. She won three medals (two gold and one silver) at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and has two so far at these Olympics with a chance for one more.
Gu is one of the most fascinating athletes at these Games and has a massive public profile. She is also the highest-paid female Winter Olympian with reported earnings of $23 million US in 2025. Her decision to represent China has also been a topic of online fodder.
A young, smart and successful racialized woman at the Winter Olympics with drama circling around her is a good story. She recently admitted that she was verbally, racially and physically assaulted as a result of her decision to not represent the USA.
Gu, 22, has already won two silver medals at these Olympics, something that became the backdrop for one of the most interesting exchanges between media and athlete at the Games.
Following the freeski slopestyle competition, in which she won silver, Gu was asked by John Weaver of Agence Press-France whether she considered her newly earned medals as “two silvers gained or two golds lost.”
The clip went viral with some criticizing Weaver’s approach, and others condemning Gu’s candid reply. She responded by bursting out laughing before offering her position.
“I am the most decorated female freeskier in history,” she replied to Weaver directly. “I think that’s an answer in and of itself.”
She went on to explain that being a medallist at the Olympics is not easy and winning five medals is “exponentially harder.”
“The two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take,” she said. “I’m showcasing my best skiing. I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before. And so I think that is more than good enough.”
Multiple posts and comments applauded the manner in which she responded. While her candour is certainly colourful, was the question insensitive from Weaver? I reached out to AFP for comment on whether they believe Weaver’s approach was fair and they responded with an article they published on the interaction.
“Top athletes in all sports have a fierce, winning mentality and it’s fascinating to gauge their reactions when they just miss out,” Weaver said, reporting from Livigno. “I was surprised by the tone of her reaction but I thought it was a fair question and she gave a robust response.”
To say the interaction received publicity is an understatement. Weaver was unapologetic and no apology was requested or granted. But was one necessary? Do interactions like this require any accountability?
CBC News national reporter Sarah Leavitt, who has been working the Milano-Cortina Olympics, discussed whether the question was insensitive or a typical interaction in a setting where emotions might be charged.
“I think the premise of the question was reasonable, given she was defending champ of at least one discipline,” Leavitt told CBC Sports. “But I think it could have been worded differently.”
Walking the line as a journalist
I thought about what is required to ask a poignant and relevant question at a time, balancing reading the room with journalism deadlines.
Journalists are tasked with asking tough questions, but that doesn’t mean it should be done without sensitivity and understanding. Granted, there is no one roadmap on how to navigate sensitive moments; you trust your judgment.
“The hard part is there is no one answer to that. Everybody acts differently,” Leavitt said. “But you have to go forward with empathy no matter what.”
Empathy. Perhaps not everyone practises journalism in the same manner or applies empathy in the same way. The question was valid but perhaps reframing it might have been the better choice.
Watching a tearful Marie-Philip Poulin answer questions Thursday after Canada’s loss to the U.S. in the women’s hockey gold-medal game was a reminder that if an athlete is broken-hearted, it is not necessary to rub salt into those wounds. As reporter Kyle Bukauskas exemplified, you can be effective without being cut-throat.
Megan Keller’s golden goal in overtime gave the United States a 2-1 win over Canada in the Olympic women’s hockey final.
Both lines of work – sportsperson and media – rely on each other in this industry. There is no benefit in garnering a reputation of being unnecessarily aggressive or unkind to athletes. To be ridiculed in front of the whole world might not reflect well on Weaver, who is a veteran journalist with a storied news organization.
Perhaps this is a learning moment for him to rethink and try something different next time. It’s something Leavitt does in her own practice.
“I asked [Canadian freestyle skier] Marion Thénault how she felt after not making the finals and she was just like, ‘bad,’” Leavitt said. “Afterwards I was like ‘Well, that was dumb!’ I should have said something like, ‘What do you think happened?’ or something else because obviously she feels bad.”
Gu is continuing to focus on competition. She seemed unfazed by the question. She certainly didn’t get to the podium by fixating on drama surrounding her accomplishments or identity.
If anything, she is acutely aware that the real battles lie on the slopes — not in press conferences.
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