Gus Kenworthy Lived an Olympic Version of "Heated Rivalry"

"If alpine skiing is about getting down a trail as fast as possible, freestyle skiing is about what you do along the way: flips, twists, and other high-wire shenanigans more typically associated with gymnastics or, in the world of winter sports, snowboarding. The 2014 Olympic Games, in Sochi, were the first to introduce the freestyle discipline of slopestyle, in which competitors make their way down a purpose-built course of rails and jumps, performing tricks as they go."

"That year, Americans swept the medals in slopestyle skiing, and Gus Kenworthy, who took silver, emerged from the competition as a media favorite, making headlines for his efforts to rescue a family of stray dogs and for his status as an all-American hunk. He was linked to the figure skater Gracie Gold and to the pop star Miley Cyrus. Then, in 2015, he came out as gay, in a cover story for ESPN the Magazine."

"Meanwhile, he turned his focus to acting, racking up credits in the revival of "Will & Grace" and on the ninth season of "American Horror Story." He burnished his gay bona fides, guest-judging an episode of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and appearing as a mentor of sorts on the reality series "Coming Out Colton," about his friend Colton Underwood, a former professional football player who dated thirty women on "The Bachelor" before announcing that he was gay."

Gus Kenworthy won silver in slopestyle skiing at the 2014 Sochi Olympics as Americans swept the medals. He gained attention for rescuing stray dogs and for high-profile links to Gracie Gold and Miley Cyrus. In 2015 he came out as gay in an ESPN The Magazine cover story, becoming the first openly gay competitor in action sports. He missed the podium at Pyeongchang but publicly kissed his boyfriend on camera. He later began competing for Great Britain, planned Beijing 2022 as his final Games, and transitioned into acting with credits on Will & Grace and American Horror Story, plus appearances on RuPaul's Drag Race and Coming Out Colton.

Read at The New Yorker