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He’s competed in the Winter Games twice before, but this year it will look different for freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy. It has a new team and a new Olympic event: half-pipe skiing.
Kenworthy, who was born in England and grew up in Telluride, Colo, said he started thinking about competing for his country of birth while preparing for the Sochi Games in 2012. Kenworthy, a dual citizen, skied for the United States at the 2014 and 2018 Games.
Although he qualified for both incline style and half-pipe skiing in 2014, he lost his spot for the half-pipe before the Games when it was given to a teammate at the discretion of a coach. Competing in slope-only style, Kenworthy won a silver medal in Sochi.
He qualified in the slant style again in 2018, but narrowly missed entering the halfpipe team. Kenworthy said he hopes for a different outcome, or a coaching decision this time in his favor.
“There is the fatigue factor” of enduring the tough process of the USA team, said Kenworthy, adding that he felt he was completely exhausted to qualify in both disciplines.
His decision to ski for England meant he could lock onto the half-pipe race more seamlessly. “I have to train for the games, I have to train to qualify to compete,” Kenworthy said. He said he felt less pressure and allowed him to focus more narrowly on his skiing.
“This is a different experience than I’ve had in the last two Games,” he said. “So it feels like I’m just getting started.”
There was also an emotional factor in the decision he announced in 2019. It was a way to honor her biggest fan: her mother.
“I want to do this for my mother,” said Kenworthy, whose mother is from a town outside Liverpool in northwest England. “He bent over backwards to make everything happen for me and truly make my dreams come true.” He said he dreams of raising the British flag from the podium in his honor.
The men’s halfpipe competition will kick off on Thursday with qualifying and the finals will be held on Saturday at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou.
Kenworthy said he is proud to return for a third Olympics, a rare feat for athletes who endure the physical strain of freestyle skiing.
“I have a run in mind that I think is unique to me and how I ski and approach the half pipe,” he said. “I just want to finish the run – and I think I’d better get off. But I don’t want to put too much emphasis on what that means.”
He said his only goal was to enjoy the moment of finally competing in the Olympics halfway.
Medals aside, Kenworthy’s career began to transcend sports. He’s gained followers in the United States since 2015, when he announced he’s a rarity in the world of extreme sports, and has booked acting and modeling gigs in “American Horror Story” and a Prada ad campaign for she.
“Looking back at my career, competing as an athlete and being an advocate for the LGBTQ community has meant more to me than just any medal or praise,” she said. wrote on Instagram, considering starting the last Olympic Games. “I am eternally grateful for this moment, this sport and this life.”
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