Gus Kenworthy. Photo: Instagram
Freestyle skiing icon and trailblazing openly gay athlete Gus Kenworthy has taken another massive step toward his fourth Olympic Games, securing a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday.
The result marks a successful continuation of a high-profile comeback that has seen the 34-year-old veteran defy the odds after a three-year retirement.
Kenworthy, competing for Team GB, qualified for the finals with a strong score of 78.33 in the Men’s Freeski Halfpipe. In Saturday’s final, he upped the ante, recording a 81.25 to finish just off the podium behind Americans Alex Ferreira and Hunter Hess, and Canada’s Andrew Longino.
After stepping away from the sport following the Beijing 2022 Games, Kenworthy spent time pursuing acting and advocacy. However, the urge to “rewrite the final chapter” of his career brought him back to the snow earlier this year.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to come back after three-and-a-half years, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to after seven and a half,” Kenworthy said regarding his return. “So, it’s this Olympics or nothing.”
Kenworthy’s momentum has been building rapidly since his return to competition earlier this month:
The Snow League (China): Claimed a bronze medal in his first competitive event back.
Copper Mountain Grand Prix: Finished 4th, outperforming all other British teammates and placing ahead of several seasoned Olympic contenders.
Olympic Path: To secure his ticket to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, Kenworthy must finish in the top 40% of the field in two out of four designated World Cup events. His 4th place finish at Copper comfortably meets this criterion.
While Kenworthy is eyeing another medal to add to his 2014 Sochi Silver, his return is also a victory for representation. As one of the first openly gay stars in action sports, his presence in the finals serves as a beacon for the next generation of LGBTQ+ athletes.
At 34, Kenworthy is now one of the elder statesmen of the free ski world, but his performance at Copper Mountain proves he still possesses the technical precision and competitive “bag of tricks” necessary to contend at the highest level.
