Gus Kenworthy, One of the World’s Top Skiers, Sports the Latest Spring Fashions
He's an Olympian, a new X Games medalist, the world’s top-ranked overall skier for five years running ... and also a gay man. No big deal, right?
Gus Kenworthy, One of the World’s Top Skiers, Sports the Latest Spring Fashions
He’s an Olympian, a new X Games medalist, the world’s top-ranked overall skier for five years running … and also a gay man. No big deal, right?
February 18, 2016 :: 9:00 AM
After earning a silver medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, Gus Kenworthy realized that being closeted was no longer an option. “I was getting questions like, ‘Who’s your celebrity crush?’ or, ‘What kind of girl are you into?’” he says. “At that point, I realized I wasn’t just dodging the issue. I felt like I was being dishonest.”
As part of a trio of Americans who dominated the Slopestyle competition—a rarity for any Olympic event—Kenworthy became a media sensation. His affable charm and constant internet presence made him the breakout star of the Sochi games, but reconciling his fame with his private life became difficult. Something had to change.
Kenworthy decided to step out of the closet.
Coming out was a slow process for him. He began telling a few friends and family members, all of whom were supportive. Their reaction was a relief. He became more comfortable with himself, or, as he puts it, “I was more excited, honest and funnier—I was more like me.” Soon he realized he had to come out to the world at large. Action sports like freestyle skiing are notorious for their macho image, and being a closeted athlete can take its toll. “I was sick of introducing my boyfriend as merely a friend,” says Kenworthy, who wanted the world to know he was gay.
“I came out to my friends and family for my own well-being. I came out publicly for the sport,” Kenworthy says. “When I was a kid, I didn’t have anyone to look up to. There were gay people I admired, and sports heroes I also liked, but no one blended those two worlds.” So, last October, Kenworthy announced his sexuality in a cover story for ESPN magazine. “I’ve gotten messages from all over the world,” he says. “It’s a relief. I finally feel free.”
Kenworthy grew up in Telluride, a resort town world-famous for its slopes. “Everyone in my family got into skiing at the same time. I was just a baby, but my brothers were a little older,” he says. Living minutes from the nearest lift helped sparked the family’s newfound passion. “My mom had never skied before, and she was about 40 years old. She wanted to learn.”
Kenworthy grew up competing against his older brothers, always looking for ways to hone his skills on his hometown run. By the time he was a teenager, Kenworthy was a promising skier.
When he was 16, Kenworthy posted a video online of a particularly impressive slope run. “That was for a competition in Sweden, an invitational, but there were two open spots you could audition for. That was the first video I ever put on the internet,” he says. While he failed to land a spot in the competition, the video went viral, racking up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. Soon after, he was approached by a French company looking for fresh faces to sponsor. Before long, the future Olympian went pro.
Since his debut, Kenworthy has stood out from the competition for his ability to pull off complex tricks. He’s also a bit of a throwback, emulating those who pioneered the sport by focusing on a number of different styles. While most freestyle skiers focus on one type of competition—say, slopestyle or half-pipe—he’s become proficient in three.
“I never wanted to choose. I didn’t want to get pinned down,” he explains. “I also get two or three chances to medal every competition. I couldn’t do that if I just focused on one style.”
Each style also offers a different thrill. “There’s a lot of creativity in slopestyle. Every course is unique. It’s a lot of fun. You have to figure out the run as you go,” he says. The half-pipe, another one of his specialties, is the most heart-pounding. “It’s fast, it’s scary and it feels dangerous. When you finish, though, you’re just so pumped. You can’t believe you’re done.” Big air, in which skiers strive for height and precision during a jump, lets him try out new tricks.
Aside from skiing, Kenworthy is best known for bringing attention to stray dogs at the Sochi Olympics—although he claims his ex-boyfriend, photographer Robin Macdonald, was the main force behind the viral feel-good story. “All my friends know I love animals. So my ex saw the strays while he was working the event as part of the media. He snapped a photo of some dogs and sent it to me. I asked him, ‘What can I do to help?’”
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