Team supports Olympic skiing medalist who comes out as gay

By Published On: October 23rd, 2015Comments Off on Team supports Olympic skiing medalist who comes out as gay

NEW YORK CITY – Teammates and officials rallied in support of U.S. Ski Team slopestyle skier Gus Kenworthy 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.

“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.

Release courtesy of USSA

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About the Author: SR Staff Report