Olympic freeskier Gus Kenworthy is coming out now

Gus Kenworthy, an Olympic silver medalist and leading freeskier, began telling family and close friends nearly two years ago and has chosen to make his sexuality public after achieving top results in his sport.

Gus Kenworthy, an Olympic silver medalist and prominent freeskier, has chosen to come out publicly after first telling family and close friends nearly two years earlier. He rose to wide attention after medaling at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi and saving several stray dogs there. Kenworthy worried that revealing his sexuality could harm his image, sponsorships and standing within action sports. He set a personal goal to reach the top of his sport before going public and pursued intense competition and recovery from injury to do so. Key points: - Kenworthy began coming out to family and close friends nearly two years before this article. - He won a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and received significant media attention at home in Telluride. - A widely shared photo of him with Sochi stray dogs increased his public profile. - He described fears about how coming out would affect sponsors and noted that homophobic language and attitudes are common in parts of the action sports community. - He focused on becoming a top freeskier, produced a highly regarded competitive season and recovered from injuries before deciding to come out publicly. - The article lists sponsors such as Nike, Atomic, GoPro and Monster and notes that sponsorships provide a large share of his income. Summary: Kenworthy's decision follows a period of athletic success and personal struggle and highlights tensions between image, sponsorship and identity in action sports. Undetermined at this time.