KEY POINTS
Eileen Gu endorsements account for nearly all of her twenty three point one million dollars in earnings.
Forbes ranks Gu fourth globally, behind three elite tennis players.
Her commercial success highlights widening gaps between on field pay and sponsorship income in women’s sports.
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu has emerged as the lone winter sports athlete among the world’s highest paid female athletes in 2025, according to Forbes, driven almost entirely by endorsement income that underscores shifting economics in global women’s sports.
The latest Forbes rankings place Gu just behind tennis stars Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, marking a rare crossover moment for winter sports.
The list, released in January, reflects earnings from prize money, salaries and endorsements during the 2024-25 season.
Gu, now twenty one, rose to global prominence at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, becoming the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing with two gold medals and a silver.
Since then, she has remained a fixture among the top five highest paid female athletes, surpassing peers in more established professional leagues.
By contrast, former alpine skier Lindsey Vonn earned an estimated fifteen million dollars in her final competitive years, according to Forbes.
“This is less about skiing purses and more about global branding,” said Brett Knight, sports business reporter at Forbes, which compiled the rankings.
“Eileen Gu endorsements reflect how visibility, narrative and cross border appeal can outweigh competitive prize structures.”
Mary G. McDonald, professor of sport management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said Gu represents a broader commercial model.
“Women athletes often monetize identity and reach because institutional pay remains uneven outside tennis,” McDonald said.
| Athlete | Sport | Total Earnings | Endorsements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coco Gauff | Tennis | $33 million | $25 million |
| Aryna Sabalenka | Tennis | $30 million | $22 million |
| Iga Swiatek | Tennis | $25.1 million | $17 million |
| Eileen Gu | Freestyle skiing | $23.1 million |
“Gu’s appeal is genuinely bicultural,” said Mark Dreyer, founder of China Sports Insider. “Brands value her fluency in both markets, which is rare.”
Anta Sports spokesperson Li Ming said Gu’s partnership “aligns performance with youth culture and long term brand storytelling.”
Red Bull media relations director Roberta Moretti said Gu “connects elite competition with everyday authenticity.”
Gu is expected to compete on the World Cup circuit through the 2025 season while preparing for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Sponsorship contracts typically extend beyond Olympic cycles, according to industry disclosures, offering stability independent of competition results.
Eileen Gu endorsements illustrate how elite female athletes increasingly build economic power beyond competition earnings.
As global audiences fragment across platforms and markets, Gu’s model highlights lasting structural changes shaping women’s sports worldwide.
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