Gus Kenworthy says it’s ‘amazing’ to have boyfriend cheer him on publicly as he wins X Games medals
Freestyle skier and new Attitude cover guy Gus Kenworthy has won his ever first medals in the Aspen X Games, with ESPN acknowledging his boyfriend Matthew Wilkas on air for the very first time.
After collecting a silver medal in the SuperPipe event of the competition, the 24-year-old was interviewed by ESPN, who after publishing his coming out story last year, made television history as the first broadcaster to broadcast a competitor’s same-sex partner on screen.
“You have a lot of support down here. This is a pretty historic night,” said the ESPN reporter to Kenworthy.
“I’m just feeling good this year. I’m just happy,” replied.
“Got a big weight off my shoulders, and oh my god I’m emotional. Yeah, I just feel good. That was honestly the best run I’ve ever done.”
He told Rolling Stone how it felt to have his boyfriend cheering him on publicly: “Yeah, the TV boyfriend thing sounds weird, I know. But everyone I looked up to growing up, they would show their girlfriend on TV – you know, Simon Dumont’s girlfriend, or Tanner Hall’s girlfriend, or whatever. I was just kind of bummed that it was something that I’d never have.
“I felt like I was never going to be confident and authentic and introduce someone as my boyfriend to the reporters and have him on TV. It was really special to want to do that and be happy about it. It was amazing.”
He added: “I looked up at the screen and saw Matt at the bottom. And it was touching being there with my mom, my boyfriend and my agent – my little support team.”
You can check out Gus’s run and the footage of Matthew cheering him over at ESPN.
Taking to Instagram after the run, Kenworthy described the event as one of the “highlights” of his life.
“Tonight was hands down one of the highlights of my life! I managed to put down the best pipe run of my life and walked away with my first ever @xgames Aspen medal!”
A video posted by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on
Last month, Kenworthy told US talk show host Conan O’Brien how he almost came out publicly during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, where he also won silver.
“I had a boyfriend at the time and had kind of talked about landing the best run ever and winning an Olympic gold medal and kissing him at the bottom and… That would be my way of telling everyone. But it didn’t happen, and I’m glad it didn’t because I hadn’t told my mom, my dad, my brothers,” he said.
“It would have not only been a shock to the sport and to the Olympics, but my family would have been like, what the hell?!”
In this month’s edition of Attitude magazine, Kenworthy talks a little more about the challenges of competing in Russia, where he felt unable to be himself.
“You quickly realise that you don’t want to be in the country anymore. The Olympics are the pinnacle sporting event in the world, where it’s supposed to be about all these countries coming together and yet you have this country that’s so backwards in their thinking hosting it.
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful because I had a good experience, but it just felt like it was an unfit hosting country.”
Also in Attitude’s March Issue, alongside all your usual fashion, fitness, travel and real life stories:
- We explore gay sex, love and relationships in our Valentine’s Love & Dating special, as we delve into the world of apps, hook-ups, and how to make a relationship last.
- Attitude meets hot young thing and rising star Douglas Booth, who talks equality, his breakthrough gay roles and new film Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.
- Aussie singe-songwriter Josef Salvat discusses sexuality, experiemtation and why as a straight man he’s not afraid to kiss men in his music videos.
- This Book Is Gay author Juno Dawson speaks to Attitude as she begins to undergo her transition, ahead of a new monthly column exploring the best of LGBT culture.
- Sheila Reid has a right ole’ knees-up playing How Gay Are You? as Benidorm returns to UK screens.
The new issue of Attitude is now available as a digital download from pocketmags.com/attitude. It’s in shops next Wednesday, February 3, and print copies are available to order from newsstand.co.uk.
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