NEW YORK CITY (Oct. 22, 2015) – Teammates and officials rallied in support of slopestyle skier Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, CO) after the Olympic medalist was featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine coming out as gay. He is one of the first Winter Olympic medalists to do so. Kenworthy, the 2014 silver medalist in slopestyle skiing, chose to use the platform to not only express his own preferences, but to encourage others in his situation to do the same.
A photo posted by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on
“We’ve long admired Gus Kenworthy’s courage as an athlete, pioneering a new sport to win an Olympic medal,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Today, we admire Gus for having the strength to tell the world who he is as a person, and paving the way for others to do the same.”
The article was authored by ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk, one of the most highly regarded writers in action sports.
“Gus is one of the best skiers in the world,” said U.S. Freeskiing teammate Joss Christensen, who shared the Olympic podium with Kenworthy. “He’s also one of my best friends and a great teammate. I’m just happy for Gus that he can be who he is. It’s a brave and strong thing for him to do and this gives me so much respect for him.”
Gus’ story is part of ESPN’s ongoing series exploring what it means to be an openly gay athlete in the post-acceptance world. The full article is available at espn.go.com.
HIGHLIGHTS
Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy received a flood of support on Thursday after being featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine coming out as gay.
Kenworthy is one of the first Winter Olympic medalists to come out.
The article was authored by ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk, one of the most highly regarded writers in action sports.
Gus’ story is part of ESPN’s ongoing series exploring what it means to be an openly gay athlete in the post-acceptance world. The full article is available at espn.go.com.
QUOTES Tiger Shaw, President and CEO, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association We’ve long admired Gus Kenworthy’s courage as an athlete, pioneering a new sport to win an Olympic medal. Today, we admire Gus for having the strength to tell the world who he is as a person, and paving the way for others to do the same.
Skogen Sprang, U.S. Freeskiing Slopestyle Skiing Coach It’s got to take a lot of courage and be really hard for Gus to make this announcement. But on the team, we all support each other and we’re excited to continue to do our thing on the hill. With this weight off his shoulders, I’m excited to see what he’ll do with his skiing.
Joss Christensen, Olympic gold medalist, slopestyle skiing Gus is one of the best skiers in the world. He’s also one of my best friends and a great teammate. I’m just happy for Gus that he can be who he is. It’s a brave and strong thing for him to do and this gives me so much respect for him.
Bobby Brown, Olympian, slopestyle skiing This is going to make his life a lot easier. It’s got to be tough holding on to something like this for a long time and I know it’s been a big weight on his shoulders. So, it’s going to be cool for him to be his true self and for everyone to know him at the core. It’s going to take a lot of weight off his shoulders and he’s going to be a lot happier in life and in skiing.
I think it’s going to be received in a positive light, and that there will be an outpouring of support in our community and at the end of the day people are going to focus on Gus Kenworthy being one of the best skiers in the world.
FRIENDS, TEAMMATES AND MEDIA SUPPORT GUS KENWORTHY
