Olympic Freeskier Gus Kenworthy Talks Life, Preparing for First Competition Since Coming Out : MStarsNews

Almost a month ago, Gus Kenworthy, professional freeskier and Olympic silver medalist, came out to the world as "gay." In doing so, he became one of the first--if not the first--openly gay extreme sport professional athlete. A month later, he now looks to turn his attention back to the slopes, targeting his first competition since the announcement. Of course, it's been something of a journey getting there.

Since the age of 5, Kenworthy knew he was different from other boys. He shared a passion with his brothers for skiing and hockey, but never felt comfortable or confident in his own skin. He turned professional at the age of 16, and life in the public eye proved to be difficult--with Kenworthy feeling as though he was being deceitful to the public and untrue to himself.

During the Sochi Olympic Winter games, Kenworthy's popularity skyrocketed. Aside from being a sensation on the slopes--going on to earn a silver medal--he rescued five stray dogs off the Russian streets, becoming an instant Internet sensation.

As his fame continued to grow, Kenworthy became increasingly troubled by the secret he kept from everyone. When he contemplated coming out, he worried what people would think--especially in the alpha male environment of extreme sports. Would his sponsors stick by him? His friends? Would he make skiing less cool? All these thoughts tormented him--to the point that he thought about quitting the sport altogether. But he didn't.

Instead, Kenworthy vowed to do two things: become the best freeskier in the world and let the public know who he truly was. He's now done both. As he prepares to return to the Winter Dew Tour on Dec. 10, he is dealing with the aftermath of his public announcement, as well as his journey to get back on the slopes (after coming off of an injury, too) for his first competition since going public. BuzzFeed caught up with Kenworthy to discuss all this and more.

Coming out was such a huge hurdle for you personally - now that you've had the big moment, what's your next goal?

GK: Now that I've had this big weight taken off my shoulders, I think the next thing I want to do is really focus on my skiing and the sport. I've always had my mind being pulled in two different ways - this internal battle going on. It's hard to give my skiing my complete focus, so I'm looking forward to skiing uninhibited. The next Olympics is my next hurdle, though it's a few years away.

How do you think it will feel to get up at your next competition and perform completely and authentically as yourself?

GK: I think that's going to be such an amazing feeling. I've been pretty good over the years with separating my two lives: my skiing mindset and my personal life, my love life and everything else. I've been compartmentalizing those different things and it still weighs heavy on me and it weighs heavy on my soul. It's allowed me to be easily distracted because I'd be in the mindset to compete and I'd be thinking about my run and what I'm about to do and I'd get distracted. I think having [my sexuality] out there in the open and me being able to feel comfortable and confident will change a lot.

Kenworthy went on to talk about everything from pre-contest rituals, to the ideal first date, to advice for people struggling with similar emotions and personal battles. For the full BuzzFeed interview, go here.

Now, Kensworthy is focused on getting back to business, and doing what he does best. "I want to be the guy who comes out, wins sh*t--and is like, I'm taking names," said Kenworthy, via ESPN.