Gold medal greats Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu face uncomfortable comparisons at Olympics

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu and Beijing-backed freestyle skier Eileen Gu woke up Friday morning to find themselves in a side-by-side contrast they never asked for, pitted against each other in a geopolitical battle they never sought.

Hours after Liu's stirring performance in the free skate on Thursday won her America's first Olympic women's figure skating gold in 24 years, the Oakland native was suddenly thrust into association with another native Californian, Gu, the skier who is competing on behalf of China.