Eileen Gu Dazzles in Green Two-Piece Under Golden Hour Light for SI Swimsuit

The two-time Olympic gold medalist chased the sun while posing for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit earlier this month.

Eileen Gu attends The Prelude to The Paris Games 2024 / Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images

Professional freestyle skier Eileen Gu is an incredible force, and her talent on the slopes is one of the many reasons we’re so proud to welcome her to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit brand. The 21-year-old San Franciso-born athlete, who competes for China, jetted off to Boca Raton, Fla. with our team to pose for photographer Ben Horton, and the results are, unsurprisingly, drop-dead gorgeous. Between her sport, her attendance at Stanford University and her modeling gigs, we feel so appreciative that she took the time to join the fold.

Though we won’t get our hands on Gu’s full spread until the 2025 issue hits stands next May, we’ve been sharing teases throughout the month, consisting of a couple of stunning official images and behind the scenes shots from the photo shoot. The skier, who made history in 2021 when winning three medals during her X Games debut, joins an impressive list of nine other athletes who will appear in next year’s magazine.

While we wait for the new year, take a look at these angelic behind the scenes shots below, where Gu is absolutely radiant in the sun. Wearing a green two-piece with a bandeau-style top and bottoms featuring long ties, the color perfectly matched her olive skin tone. Her bronde hair looked great during golden hour as she looked towards and away from the camera. Needless to say, Gu is a natural.

Eileen Gu photographed by Ben Horton at the Boca Raton Resort in behind the scenes photo / SI Staff

Eileen Gu photographed by Ben Horton at the Boca Raton Resort in behind the scenes photo / SI Staff

Eileen Gu photographed by Ben Horton at the Boca Raton Resort in behind the scenes photo / SI Staff

Eileen Gu photographed by Ben Horton at the Boca Raton Resort in behind the scenes photo / SI Staff

If you’re just learning about the athlete, know that Gu’s influence goes far beyond the slopes. In 2022, she was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, as part of the “Pioneers” category, and in 2023, Forbes ranked her as the second highest-paid female athlete in the world. Those are undoubtedly huge feats. And along with her athletic accolades, she’s represented by IMG Models and has appeared on the cover of magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar China, InStyle China, Vogue China and more, also walking the runway for designers like Brunello Cucinelli.

Most recently, Gu partnered with The Faction Collective for a limited edition collection of skis celebrating the Lunar Year of the Wood Dragon. Is there anything she can’t do?

While on set with the SI Swimsuit team, Gu took a minute to record a fun video shared on our social media channels, rocking that awesome green two-piece. The clip, which you can watch below, sees the 21-year-old transition from hair and makeup chair to full glam ready to shoot, using a line from actress Dakota Johnson who describes how she's doing. “I'm exhausted, but I'm good,” Gu mouthed. “Thank you.”

We call it the SI Swimsuit effect. 👙

Posted by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit on Monday, November 4, 2024

“We call it the SI Swimsuit effect 👙,” the SI Swimsuit brand captioned the video, to which Gu responded on Instagram with a simple yet effective “❤️❤️.”