Gus Kenworthy to represent Great Britain ahead of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
The Essex-born freeskier is switching allegiance from the USA to the UK.
By Will Stroude
Gus Kenworthy has announced he’ll be representing Great Britain in competitive sport ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The US Olympic freeskier, 28, revealed he’s swtiching allegiance the the country of his birth ahead of what is likely to be his last Olympic Games.
Sochi 2014 silver medal winner Gus, who was born in Chelmsford, Essex and holds a British passport, said he’d decided to make the move in “honour” of his British mother Heather – though it’s worth nothing that GB Snowsport also has a less strident – and potentially more inviting – qualifiying process compared to its US counterpart.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Gus, who came out as gay publicly in 2015, wrote: “I am very excited to announce that I will be competing for Team GB on the road to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“Although I was raised in the US I was born in the UK and my mum is British through-and-through. She has been my #1 fan for my entire life and has proudly stood at the bottom of the mountain waving the stars and stripes in support of me for two Olympic cycles.
“Now, in what is sure to be my last Olympic appearance, I’d like to return the honor by proudly holding up the British flag for her.”
Gus, who recently made his acting debut in Ryan Murhpy’s horror anthology series American Horror Story: 1984, is set to remain based in Los Angeles following the move, but the told the BBC he was excited “to compete again for the LGBT community but this time for GB.”
Vicky Gosling, chief executive officer of governing body GB Snowsport, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to have him in our ranks and I think it goes to show the level that GB Snowsport has reached in a short space of time.
“The inclusion of Gus in our squad can only raise our level of performance and make us even more competitive.”