Freestyle Skier Eileen Gu Shares How This Halfpipe Victory Photo Motivates Her

The athlete and 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue model shared a tour of her cell phone, including her home screen pic, while on set in Florida.

Eileen Gu / Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

Freestyler skier Eileen Gu is known for her success on the halfpipe, but the 21-year-old California native is also an accomplished model. The Olympian has worked with brands like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Victoria’s Secret, and in May, she made her SI Swimsuit debut.

Gu was one of several athletes who traveled to The Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Fla., to pose for this year’s magazine. In between striking poses for photographer Ben Horton, Gu also sat down with our camera crew to share a peek inside her cell phone.

In addition to admitting to having 107 unread text messages and an average screen time of just over three hours per day, Gu shared her home screen photo: a pic of herself following a win on the slopes.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

“I really love this photo,” she stated while showing off her home screen pic. “It’s me at the top of the halfpipe. I ended up winning this contest, and I just feel like the energy and the intensity that’s like captured in this moment is something I really wanna hold with me.”

Other highlights from her cell phone tour include the revelation that actor Orlando Bloom is the most famous person in her contact list, and the fact that Gu loves using an ironic emoji. Her favorites include the crying face, two red exclamation marks and skull emojis.

In addition to being an Olympic champion, Gu is also an X Games medal winner and has 15 World Cup titles to her name. Outside of her sport, she’s been named to the TIME100 List (in 2022) and is a two-time ESPY Award winner, among other accolades.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Swimsuit Issue. dark. Buy Now. SIP July Swimsuit Issue