Celebrating Eileen Gu’s Birthday: A Trailblazer, SI Swimsuit Model and Champion

The Olympic athlete and 2025 SI Swimsuit model is celebrating yet another trip around the sun.

Eileen Gu was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Always on Holiday. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

Blow out the birthday candles for Eileen Gu because today, Sept. 3, is the champion’s special day!

The Olympic skier officially joined the SI Swimsuit family with her amazing 2025 feature, which was shot in Boca Raton, Fla. For the photos, she certainly brought her A-game, delivering riveting poses that emphasized her gorgeousness as well as offering up fascinating looks in equally fascinating swimsuits.

Ranging from summery snaps on the warm sands to relaxing images of her lounging by the pool, all the pictures from her debut were outstanding.

Eileen Gu was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Norma Kamali. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

From being on the cover of Vogue Hong Kong to walking the runway at Louis Vuitton Cruise 2023 Show, Gu is well-versed in making moves in the modeling industry. After all, modeling is a rewarding journey she holds dear, as it allows her to explore different aspects of herself, such as her femininity. Her second passion also forces her to ask the hard questions that require her to challenge her perspective.

“When I’m Eileen the model, I really channel my creative energy and try to be expressive and take it as an opportunity to explore my femininity,” Gu told South China Morning Post. “It’s something I’ve been working on as of late and a place of curiosity for me, a way to find strength in art and beauty, and ask questions and step out of my comfort zone.”

She continued, “But in a lot of ways the message is the same in skiing and fashion because they’re both deeply expressive and personal, and there’s an element of performance.”

Eileen Gu was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Blackbough Swim. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

And when she’s Eileen the skier, the same ambition is abundantly evident. Ever since she was a young girl, she’s been drawn to the sport. Her humble beginnings involved her playing copycat, mimicking the moves of her peers who were performing cool tricks in the snow.

“As I got older in terms of free skiing, my first memories were being in this rowdy group of boys on the chairlift, starting from age eight or nine and just pushing one another every day,” she shared with SI Swimsuit. “So if one guy learned a trick, then I had to learn it. And if I learned a trick, then everyone else had to learn it. And so just kind of keeping the progression moving throughout the day.”

Eileen Gu was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by MBM Swim. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

Gu’s continued pursuit of skiing resulted in her accomplishing something that had never been done before. At the young age of 18, she became the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing. She secured a whopping three Olympic medals—one gold in big air, one gold in halfpipe and one silver in slopestyle—which was a monumental feat.

As if her accolades weren’t impressive enough, she accomplished all these goals while studying to become a student at Stanford University. Her many interests may seem overwhelming from the outside. But to her, being a jack of all trades brings a sense of comfort.

“It’s a whirlwind, but in the best way possible,” she divulged to ELLE. “The fact that I do so many different things is what keeps it interesting. If I spent all the time I spend doing stuff in one aspect of my life, I would have already burnt out. What keeps me from getting bored is the juxtaposition of those different aspects of my life at the same time.”

Eileen Gu was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Ark Swimwear. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

“It’s difficult to grow tired of one thing when you’re only doing it for an hour, and so when I’m at school, I’m excited to be there; I’m with my friends and in the classrooms, physically present. When I’m gone, I’m not thinking about school, because all of a sudden I’m upside down and don’t need to be learning my physics from a textbook; I’m living it in real life.”

She concluded her thought, adding, “All of these fantastic elements in my life fit together in this unique puzzle, and that is what keeps things interesting, not despite one another, but because of it.”

Eileen Gu was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Ark Swimwear. / Eileen Gu was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton.

We’re wishing this superstar a very happy birthday!

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