Shadowing Practice: Eileen Gu Reflects On 2022 Olympics: ‘The Worst Failure Is To Not Try’ - Learn English Speaking with Video
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We're back.
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It is 8.37 with the breakout star of the Winter Olympics.
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Her name is Eileen Gu, the teen phenom, racked up several gold medals on the slopes.
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She's been juggling her newfound fame with competitions, college on the horizon, and a stunning appearance at this week's Fashion's Biggest Night.
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Take a look.
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Eileen Gu.
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This is what February looked like for 18-year-old freestyle skier Eileen Gu, golden.
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Oh my god, I'm not crying, I'm not crying.
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The American born teen who grew up in California won, not one, not two, but three Olympic medals for Team China,
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honoring her mother's home country on the international stage.
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The golds in big air
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and half pipe make Eileen the youngest freestyle skiing champion in Olympic history
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and the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single winter Olympics.
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She used her podium finishes as a platform to cheer on the next generation of young women in her sports.
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Always been about encouraging girls, it's always been about showing people what's possible.
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A mission Eileen has been on since she was in 7th grade.
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I encourage you all to step out of your comfort zone to show the boys
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that girls are just as powerful as they are.
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Since Beijing, Eileen's gone from smashing records in historic fashion to becoming a fashion icon,
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making a name for herself as one of the faces of luxury brands Louis Vuitton and Tiffany's,
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rocking both on the red carpet at fashion's famous first Monday in May, the Met Gala.
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Eileen, it's so good to have you in studio.
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By the way, you really are the whole package.
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I mean, Savannah and I were just talking about you.
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You, first of all, an Olympic gold medalist.
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You're everything in fashion.
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What did you get on your SATs?
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I got a 1580 on my SAT.
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Okay.
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Did you study?
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Do you study all the time?
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Are you a hard worker or do things just come easy for you?
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I did take every single available online test for the SAT.
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So I'm not going to sit back and be like, oh, it was easy.
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But yeah, it was just standardized tests and you can study for them.
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Well, hard work seems to be your theme.
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when you got those medals in Beijing, was it a pinch-me moment, or was it like lots and lots of practice that happened to work out perfectly on that day?
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I think it was both.
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The really standout moment for me was when I landed that 1620 in Big Air, which was my first event.
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And I've always said, you know, my message is about inspiring young girls
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and inspiring more people to hear about the sport and to use it as a force to create interconnection and cross-cultural communication.
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And I knew that it was such a big moment, and there were so many people watching, and it was my time to live up to that standard that I've set.
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And so in that sense, I was like, no matter what, there is no failure, because if I don't land, the worst failure is to not try.
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So I just wanted to try it.
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And I'd never done it before.
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I'd never even tried it on airbag or anything and landed it, got that gold medal.
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And I was on top of the world.
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Well, your mom taught you well.
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You can tell that she's always supporting you.
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She's actually here in studio and you did make a decision to compete for China
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and I was just wondering the thought process because I know
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that wasn't an easy decision I know it came with backlash
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so tell me about that piece yeah
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so for me it's always been about using force using sport as a force of communication
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and especially in a sport like free skiing it's so free it's
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so personal you use it and it's creative there's style
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and a lot of people in China had never even heard of it
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and So kind of introducing that sport culture to younger girls, especially, is it changed my life, you know.
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And so to be able to have that kind of contact with the sport.
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And now there are 300 million people in China who've gone on snow after the Winter Olympics.
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And that impact is absolutely insane.
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Did you feel like you needed to have a thick skin for what came at you after that?
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Absolutely.
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I mean, people always have their own opinions.
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But for me, what I try to stick to is I know that there's no wrong or right.
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There's only intention.
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I'm trying to make the world a better place in my own way.
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And if people disagree with that, that's okay.
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And I just encourage them to make the world better in their way, right?
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We can approach this situation from different standpoints.
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So yeah, teach their own.
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So you're going to Stanford.
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Is that next on your list?
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I'm going to college in the fall.
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Yeah.
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Oh my gosh.
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So you're going to college in the fall.
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You're a model.
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You do all that stuff.
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Are we going to see you at the Olympics again? Is
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that going to happen do you think who knows I mean
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honestly I really love skiing still it is a very personal
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and expressive part of me
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and I think it makes me who I am it's taught me resilience it's taught me
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that um cross-cultural communication and so in that sense yeah I think why not
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but yeah let's see how school goes first you are a lovely
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and delightful person
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and again your mom's here cheering you on no one's beaming bigger than she is I don't know
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if we did get a shot of her
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because we did oh good I just want I just want to make sure
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that she gets her air time too I know she doesn't love to be on camera, but we had to show her.
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Eileen, thank you so much.
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We really appreciate you coming to see us.
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Congrats on all of your success.
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Thank you so much, Hoda.
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What You'll Learn from This Clip
This video offers practice in two key speaking skills: conversational fluency (managing casual questions and transitions between topics) and emphatic delivery (stressing key messages like "the worst failure is to not try"). You’ll also learn to structure personal anecdotes, as Eileen connects her Olympic experience to broader themes like inspiration and hard work—critical for clear, engaging communication.
Listen For These Sounds
Notice the connected speech in phrases like "it was easy" (reduced to "it wuz easy") and "I did take" (linked as "I dih take"). The interviewer’s question "was it a pinch-me moment" uses a casual idiom, and Eileen’s response "I think it was both" demonstrates smooth vowel reduction in "both" (sounding like "buhth"). These patterns are essential for understanding natural English flow, making them perfect for shadow speech practice.
Say It Like a Native
To mirror Eileen’s rhythm, focus on stress in her key statements: "NO MATTER what, there is NO failure" and "the WORST failure is to NOT try." Her pace slows slightly for emphasis, then quickens during casual parts (e.g., "I got a 1580 on my SAT"). Use a shadowing app to repeat these lines, matching her tone and pauses. For the interviewer’s questions, practice rising intonation in "Did you study?" to sound natural. Whether using a shadowing site or shadow speak techniques, mimic the back-and-forth flow to build conversational confidence. Remember: even native speakers stress hard work—so keep practicing, and don’t fear trying new phrases!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.