“She’s the Real Deal”: Eileen Gu Backs Aussie Teen Indra Brown for Olympic Glory
A 16-year-old Australian skier is being called “the real deal” by one of the most powerful names in winter sport and that endorsement could change everything.
At the center of this story is Indra Brown, a teenage freestyle skier from Melbourne who stunned the world when she claimed a bronze medal in her very first World Cup halfpipe event. She was just 15. Standing beside her on that podium was none other than Eileen Gu, the global superstar who has dominated freeskiing on the Olympic stage.
And it was a small, human moment that captured attention. Brown, handed a celebratory bottle of champagne, did not know how to open it. She is, after all, still a teenager. Gu leaned over and helped her. Simple. Genuine. But symbolic.
Because now, as the spotlight intensifies ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Gu is doing more than opening bottles. She is publicly backing Brown as a future force in women’s halfpipe skiing.
Gu, who won multiple medals at the Beijing Games and has become one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world through major endorsements, says Brown reminds her of herself at that age. Same coach. Similar style. Similar fearlessness in the pipe. And perhaps most importantly, the same competitive edge.
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That matters.
In a sport where progression is everything, where athletes are constantly pushing the limits of what is physically possible, having the reigning champion acknowledge you as a genuine threat is not casual praise. It is recognition.
Gu herself remains one of the defining faces of the Winter Games. Representing China despite being born and raised in the United States, she carries enormous global attention, commercial power and at times, controversy. Yet through it all, she continues to emphasize growing the sport and inspiring young girls to stay in competition during those critical teenage years when participation often drops.
Brown now represents that next wave.
And this is why it matters beyond medals. Women’s freestyle skiing is evolving rapidly. The tricks are bigger. The technical level is higher. The audience is global. When a champion embraces the rise of a rival, it signals growth for the entire sport.
The next showdown in the halfpipe could define more than just a podium. It could mark the beginning of a new era.
Stay with us for continuing coverage as the road to Milano Cortina unfolds and as the world watches whether Indra Brown can turn promise into Olympic history.
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