Gus Kenworthy, the top freestyle skier in the world and a silver medalist from the Sochi Olympics, announced that he was gay on Thursday in a cover story for ESPN the Magazine. He is the first pro action sports star to come out publicly.
“Hiding everything away is so painful, I mean you’re constantly lying and you’re constantly feeling like you’re being deceitful,” Kenworthy said in a video on ESPN. “I’m at that point where I’m ready to open up and let everyone see me for me, and I hope they accept it.”
Kenworthy, who said he has known he was gay since he was 5 years old, rose to fame during the Sochi games, when he took the silver medal as part of an American podium sweep in the inaugural freestyle skiing event. During the Games — which notably received substantial criticism from LGBT activists due to Russia’s severe anti-gay laws — Kenworthy also won hearts when he vowed to adopt five stray puppies from Sochi, and photos of him with the puppies went viral.
In the aftermath of the Olympics, Kenworthy became a media darling. Along with his podium mates Josh Christensen and Nick Goepper he made an appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman, and thanks to his puppy rescuing, he even made the sidebar of a People magazine cover. In the process, he was linked to Miley Cyrus, who showed her support of Kenworthy after the announcement.
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However, Kenworthy told ESPN that in the aftermath of his Sochi success and newfound fame, he struggled mightily with fear over what would happen if he came out of the closet. He even contemplated suicide. But he made it through, and used his struggles as motivation to become better at his sport.
“I never got to be proud of what I did in Sochi because I felt so horrible about what I didn’t do,” Kenworthy said. “I didn’t want to come out as the silver medalist from Sochi. I wanted to come out as the best freeskier in the world.”
Last season, Kenworthy accomplished that goal, finishing the 2014–15 season ranked No. 1, the Association of Freeskiing Professionals overall champ for the fifth year in a row.
“If someone does come out, the worry is that it will take away from them as an athlete,” Anna Aagenes, the vice president of outreach at You Can Play, told ThinkProgress. “This is another example of role models showing that you can be yourself, be authentic, and still be at the top of your sport.”
Kenworthy told ESPN that he was concerned about how the action sports community and his sponsors would react to his announcement, but so far he has received nothing but support.
@guskenworthy Proud of you, never stop being who you are! Much love from your #GoPro family.
— GoPro (@GoPro) October 22, 2015
“Our culture is shifting. It’s definitely a concern, but more companies are starting to see this as an opportunity to show that they’re committed to diversity,” Aagenes said.
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association president Tiger Shaw also affirmed the organization’s support for Kenworthy in a statement released Thursday. “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.”
While the LGBT community has been making great strides lately, particularly in regards to marriage equality, the sports community still has a long way to go. There are currently no active gay male stars in any of the top four American sports, NFL, NHL, MLB, or the NBA. But thanks to trailblazers like Jason Collins, Michael Sam, and Robbie Rogers, there has been progress.
“I think it’s very encouraging for young skiers who are trying to figure out whether or not they want to come out as LGBT,” Aagenes said. “We may not necessarily see this impact until the next generation.”
“As an Olympic athlete at the prime of his career, Gus has made it easier for other athletes to be open about who they are, and who they love,” Hudson Taylor, the executive director of Athlete Ally, said in a statement. “We applaud Gus for telling his story — and thereby helping ensure that every athlete seeking to fulfill their Olympic dream, will be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of sexual orientation.”