Sports
Eileen Gu comments on Alysa Liu’s historic gold medal
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American-born Team China skier Eileen Gu commented on Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu’s historic gold medal in the women’s free skate final Thursday at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
After Liu became the first American women’s figure skater to win an individual Olympic medal in 20 years and first to win a gold in 24 years, she made a celebratory Instagram post.
“These are for y’all,” Liu wrote in the caption of a photo holding her gold medal and the U.S. team gold.
Gold medalist Alysa Liu of the United States poses for a photo during the medal ceremony for women’s single skating at Milano Ice Skating Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games Feb. 19, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Gu commented on the post, celebrating Liu’s victory.
“YESSSSSS,” Gu wrote in the comment section.
The two Chinese American stars have been relentlessly compared and contrasted on social media this Olympics.
Both athletes are the children of immigrants who came to the U.S. from China. But many fans and critics have been quick to point out the contrast between Liu’s story, a tale of American loyalty by an immigrant’s child, and Gu, who chose to compete for Team China when she was 15 years old despite living in California.
Arthur Liu raised Alysa and her siblings in Oakland. Yan Gu raised Eileen just across the bay in San Francisco.
Their paths diverged in 2019.
The Chinese government launched a program to recruit foreign-born athletes, primarily with Chinese heritage, to boost competitiveness, notably for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and soccer, according to The China Project.
Gu and Liu were top recruiting targets.
Gu traded in her red, white and blue for red and gold. Just months after competing in her first Freestyle Ski World Cup for the U.S. in January 2019, she competed for China for the first time in June of that year after requesting a change of nation with the International Ski Federation.

Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China attends the award ceremony for the freestyle skiing women’s freeski big air event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Hongxiang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
The Lius remained loyal to Team USA.
US OLYMPIAN ALYSA LIU WAS ONCE TARGETED BY CHINESE SPIES – HERE’S WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT
Arthur was reportedly “not open to persuasion” to having Alysa compete for China, according to The Economist.
Both athletes competed at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Gu representing China and Liu representing the U.S.
Gu won two gold medals and one silver in freeskiing and went home to California as a new global household name for her success.
Liu finished in sixth place in women’s singles figure skating, then went into a temporary early retirement, before returning to the sport in 2024.
But in 2026, Liu is the only one with any gold after helping the U.S. win team gold and her historic individual gold on Thursday. Maybe if Gu represented USA she would have won gold.
Liu landed all her jumps and smiled during the individual final before erupting in a demonstrative celebration after she finished.
She yelled, “That’s what I’m f—ing talking about!’ and “Holy s—!” while celebrating with her team. She finished with a 226.79 total score, a 150.20 free skate score and a 76.59 short program score. It was her season-best free skate score.
OLYMPIANS SPEAK OUT IN DEFENSE OF EILEEN GU AMID CRITICISM FOR COMPETING FOR CHINA OVER US
But Gu has only won two silvers so far in Italy.
An interaction Tuesday with a reporter went viral after Gu responded to a question about her winning two silver medals instead of gold so far this Olympics, suggesting the question came from a “ridiculous perspective.”
“I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that’s an answer in and of itself,” Gu said when asked if she saw her two medals as “silvers earned” or “golds lost.”
“How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else’s expectations rise, right?
“The two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take. I’m showcasing my best skiing. I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before. So, I think that is more than good enough, but thank you.”
Gu will have one last chance to win gold in the women’s halfpipe final, considered her strongest event, Sunday. The event will take place a day after it was originally scheduled due to intense snow in the area.
Gu nearly lost out on any chance at a gold medal after falling in the halfpipe qualifier on Thursday. But she recovered in her second run to earn a spot in the final.
Gu has had to compete under the pressure of immense global scrutiny in response to her decision to compete for China seven years ago.
Gu was asked if she feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics” after her competition on Thursday.
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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos after the award ceremony for the freestyle skiing women’s freeski big air event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
“I do,” she said, according to USA Today. “So many athletes compete for a different country. … People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So, it’s not really about what they think it’s about.
“And also, because I win. Like, if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions.”
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Sports
NCAA to discuss five-year eligibility proposal, reports say
An NCAA panel is scheduled to discuss potential changes to eligibility rules that would incorporate age into the process, two people with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the NCAA hasn’t publicly discussed the proposal. They said the matter was scheduled to be reviewed and discussed by the Division I cabinet next week, but not voted on for implementation.
The proposal was also reported by multiple outlets. An NCAA spokesman did not immediately return a message left by AP.
The proposal, which mirrors language written into the executive order issued by President Donald Trump last week, would give athletes five years of eligibility with the clock starting at the earliest of two dates: either when they turn 19 or graduate high school. There would be limited exceptions but they would not involve injuries, which has been a common reason for players to ask for extra eligibility.
Still unknown is whether the rule would shield the NCAA from lawsuits over eligibility. Dozens of players have sued for extra years, claiming injuries and other circumstances made them candidates for extra eligibility. The NCAA is seeking a limited antitrust exemption from Congress to prevent these lawsuits.
Speaking at the Final Four over the weekend, NCAA President Charlie Baker said Trump wanted to figure out a way to “get something on the books that works and represents what most people are looking for at this point, which is a much simpler eligibility process, which we’ve been talking to our committees about.”
Sports
Jimmy Kimmel tells UCLA women’s basketball team to give Trump fake national championship trophy
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UCLA’s national champion women’s basketball team was given an eyebrow-raising political quest by late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
During a group interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Tuesday, a discussion with Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Angela Dugalić and coach Cori Close turned political.
After Kimmel pointed out that former President Barack Obama made a social media post congratulating the team on their championship win, the host asked if President Donald Trump had reached out yet.
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The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team is honored at center court during a game between the Lakers and Oklahoma Thunder at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on April 7, 2026. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The players answered “no” in response to Kimmel’s Trump question.
But then Kimmel steered the conversation deeper into an anti-Trump routine.
“I’m sure you know he’s busy. Um he’s in two weeks you’ll hear from him,” Kimmel said. “In the event that you do get invited to the White House and you decide to go to the White House, I have something for you.”
Kimmel then pulled out a silver trophy that hardly resembled the NCAA championship trophy that sat on his desk.
“What I want you to do is bring this fake trophy we’ve made to the White House. He’s not going to know. But when you bring a trophy, he sometimes takes it and keeps it for himself. So, this is for you guys to take to the White House. And then you can say, ‘President Trump, we want you to have this.’ And he’ll be so happy. You’ll probably get an endowment and you’ll be able to keep the real one,” Kimmel said.
BASKETBALL LEGEND CANDACE PARKER TAKES AIM AT GENO AURIEMMA AFTER DAWN STALEY CONFRONTATION

Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins watches during the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA women’s basketball national championship at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 5, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Close laughed at Kimmel’s joke, while the players lightly clapped their hands, exchanging light laughs.
Meanwhile, social media users criticized Kimmel for turning the sports interview into a Trump-focused rant.
“Even celebrating their championship he has to make it about himself and his hatred for Trump. What an a—hole,” one X user wrote.
One X user mocked Kimmel, writing, “What will he do when Trump is out of office? Is the show cooked?”
Another X user wrote, “This is funny, but I dislike that he used them to smite the frump.”
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UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) reacts while holding up the UCLA bracket sticker after UCLA defeats Oklahoma State in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Jessie Alcheh/AP)
UCLA won its first women’s basketball national championship in program history this past weekend, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks, the team led by Dawn Staley that had reached the national title game three consecutive seasons and won it in 2024, in dominant fashion, 79-51.
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Sports
Notre Dame on ‘revenge tour’ after ’25 CFP snub, says CB Moore
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore said the Irish are on a “revenge tour” after being excluded from the College Football Playoff last fall, and players aren’t shying away from talking about the importance of their Nov. 7 home game against Miami as part of it.
Moore said last year’s 27-24 season-opening loss to Miami used to keep him awake at night, but so did the Week 3 loss to Texas A&M — an 0-2 start that ultimately kept the Irish out of the CFP.
“We’re on a revenge tour now,” Moore said. “We got to get back. We got to make it right from last year.”
Quarterback CJ Carr, who is entering his second season as the full-time starter, conceded it’s “impossible” not to think about facing the Canes at home this year.
“Watching that tape, it was probably the worst first half of football our offense played all year, and to be in that game in the end and the second half we put together was special,” he said. “It’s hard to watch. … There was some resilience shown in that game that’s going to help us this year. We’re excited for them to come into town and see what this team’s got.”
When told of his players’ candor during an interview in his office on Tuesday morning, coach Marcus Freeman smirked.
“We spend too much time daydreaming about Miami, we’re going to lose to Wisconsin,” he said of Notre Dame’s Sept. 6 season opener. “You’ve got to focus on the task right at hand. That’s no different than saying, can we go back to the national championship? If we want to focus on the national championship, we’re going to lose the opportunity we have right here. It’s my job to make sure I’m directing the focus where it needs to be. That’s an everyday message, an everyday reminder to struggle. Struggle has to be hard mentally and physically and to sacrifice and put Notre Dame in front of yourself.”
Moore said the defensive backs shouldered a lot of the blame for the loss to Canes, as Miami quarterback Carson Beck completing all but 10 passes (20 of 30) for 205 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“That’s what used to keep me up at night,” Moore said, “just thinking about maybe one or two plays in that game that I could’ve made that would’ve changed the course of the season. That and the Texas A&M game, just as a DB room, we put that all on us.”
Following the loss to Miami, Moore said Freeman was blunt in his assessment of the secondary.
“He told us we was weak, we was soft,” Moore said, “all that type of stuff. It’s serious to him, too. That’s something he’s not used to seeing from us.”
This year, Notre Dame’s secondary should be one of its biggest assets on a defense that returns nine of its top 10 tacklers, including safety Adon Shuler (53) and Moore (31).
Senior linebacker Drayk Bowen, who was wearing pads on Tuesday morning’s practice for the first time this spring since his offseason hip surgery, said Freeman showed the team video of their reaction on Selection Day. The loss to Miami, though, wasn’t the only mistake over the past few years.
“… There’s always one little thing we didn’t do, maybe at the beginning of the season or the middle of the season,” he said. “There’s always something where we could have been better. Going through four years of it now … we understand everything from now until the time we either get voted in or don’t get voted in, everything’s important.”
In each of the past four seasons under Freeman, the Irish haven’t been able to finish September undefeated, losing at least one or two games each year. He said the team has to start faster, and that’s “not just a last year deal.”
“We’re going to play good teams early because of conferences, we have to get the teams that are willing to plays that in conferences early,” he said, “but it’s no excuse to not be as close to your best as possible. We’ve got to do a better job of making sure our teams is prepared in playing and executing in a better sense than what we’ve been in the past.”
Carr said the team continues to use last year as motivation but also has to move forward.
“You can sulk and you can blame and you can point the finger or you can say, ‘alright, we got punched in the face, we’ve got to get back up,'” Carr said. “We’ve got to go back to work. We’ve got a new team coming in. We’re going to be really good. We have draft picks all over the field. We have a chance to be really special.”
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