Gus Kenworthy

I was so stressed in the closet. In an interview, I was scared they were going to ask me about a crush, or the type of girl I liked, or whatever it was. And I was going to have to lie by omission. It was always in the back of my mind.

I don't ever train half-pipe except for the short training sessions during events, and because of that, I have a really hard time consistently putting my runs down smoothly.

The chance of messing up and falling significantly increases when you're flipping through the air three times while spinning and trying to grab your skis.

I wound up adopting two dogs from Sochi. It wasn't really me who brought them home as much as it was one of my best friends, Robin Macdonald, who was out there with me.

There are so many animals in shelters that need homes. Rather than going to a breeder and buying a dog, or a puppy mill or anything like that, I've always been a big fan of adoption.

If people are hiding their sexuality, they don't really get their full selves, so you can sometimes feel like you're presenting sort of like a fogged version of yourself.

I'm representing the LGBT community, and I want to do well for them.

Someone coming out as gay shouldn't be newsworthy; it shouldn't be warranting a magazine cover or anything like that, which I had as my story for coming out.

I chose a public platform to come out. I wanted to have an impact with it.

Miley Cyrus followed me, tweeted at me. We started messaging; we traded numbers. She's become like a friend. She's super supportive of me being gay.

One of the most exciting and unique parts of slopestyle is that every course is unique. You don't really know what to expect when you show up at an event, and it's always fun trying to put a run together.

The thought of being the first openly gay male ever to compete in the Winter Olympics - I totally embrace that.

Growing up, I always wanted kids, and that was one of the things that made it hard for me to accept being gay, but now I know it's totally an option to have kids.

I think the Olympics are a time for the world to come together and put aside differences, but we're also coming to represent ourselves, our communities, and our countries, so I think it's important to stand up and be a voice.

I have the LGBT audience behind me, and there's all these people that I want to make proud, and I want to do well aside from just myself.

I don't think that one thing defines me, but I know that by coming out the way that I did, sort of almost pioneering it in action sports - to take that stand - that it's always going to be a label that is stuck with me, and I know that I'll always be the 'gay skier,' and it actually doesn't bother me.

Hopefully, it gets to a point where, down the line, people don't have to come out.

Having an Olympic medal validates that you can be a successful freeskier... It's like a credential that sticks with you the rest of your life.

The only way to really change perceptions, to break down barriers, break down homophobia, is through representation. That's definitely not something I had as a kid. I never saw a gay athlete kissing their boyfriend at the Olympics. I think if I had, it would've made it easier for me.

My mom has been there for me in moments where I definitely needed her the most, and she has this inherent way of knowing exactly what to say and exactly how to talk to me, whatever the situation.

The Olympics is a cool opportunity to represent our country, which is amazing. But I have another community I am competing for, and that is the LGBT community.

For anyone who says 'Who cares if you're gay? It's 2018,' well, a lot of people care because a lot of people had the opportunity to be out, and there's been a lot of fear surrounding it. This is the first time we're seeing representation, and because of that, it is a big deal.

I spent 24 years in the closet wanting to talk so desperately about who I was and what I am but too afraid to.

Getting to be authentic is so liberating.

You don't want to be defined by one thing. But at the same point... When you are the first in something, that's gonna kinda be the title that sticks. And after Sochi, I was, like, the dog guy. Now I'm the gay guy, and it's fine by me.

Competitors, even friends that would say things that were so homophobic, and - I don't think that they realized necessarily the impact that it was having on me, because I was in the closet, and I think that that's what made me really scared to come out.

I definitely carry a little bit of a burden with me, being a gay athlete going to the Olympics. I think that there's pressure on me... It presents an amazing opportunity, and I think that it kind of gives us a chance to shed people's misconceptions and just kind of, like, break down barriers.

Even if you're 'the gay guy,' if you're winning events, you're still winning events.

I love that our country is one where you have the freedom to protest and to stand up for what you believe in and speak on it.

I look at photos of the Sochi Olympics - even though it sometimes seems like it was just yesterday - that photo doesn't even look like me. It looks like a child. I don't even recognize myself.

Since I came out of the closet, I've gotten to just really be myself and feel authentic and honest and genuine. It's just been a huge relief for me competitively.

I've always been someone who's had to compartmentalize my life because I was in the closet, and I was in fear of outing myself. I always had so much going on in my mind and couldn't share it with anyone, so I actually feel like, now that I'm out, I have less to compartmentalize.

I'm so proud that now you can exist as a gay man and be an Olympian, and it can be beneficial rather than negative. So it's amazing. And I just think I feel so liberated now that I've been out of the closet for a while, and so I'm free in that I just get to be myself, speak freely, act freely, and I think that I am competing confidently.

As a kid, I just felt like I didn't really have anyone to look up to that I felt like I could really relate to, someone that was out and gay and also competing in sports and finding success.

I think that being in the closet is really hard. It takes a toll on your mind. It takes a toll on you. I think it just makes every aspect of your life more difficult.

I'm actually sort of shocked that I was able to get a medal in 2014 and really have any of the success I had before because as soon as I came out, it was like a whole new world for me, and I felt so free, so confident, that it's actually shocking that I was able to compete any other way.

It shows more courage to leave the house as a trans person than Trump has ever had to show.

It's a life I would have never been able to foresee for myself, but I'm so grateful for it, and I really just loved skiing as a kid, and it's crazy how far it's taken me.

I would probably say Breckenridge has the best park out of any resort. They build the best jumps, they have fun rails, and the pipe is well kept, too.

Dating in the closet is torture. It's one of the most difficult things, especially if you are completely closeted.

I love Kim Chi the drag queen from 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' but I'm not sure about the food.

Jet lag is tough, to be honest. For me, it's much easier to force yourself to stay awake.

I realize how fortunate I am to have been able to make a life and career out of skiing.

Figure skating, especially the longer performances, are such a feat. It requires so much stamina and is so beautiful.

I'm putting in the time to make sure that my body is ready to compete at the top level.

All I can really say is to encourage anybody who's in the closet to come out, and congratulate anyone who has.

When you're able to love and appreciate and take pride with yourself, that makes everything easier. It makes it easier to train, it makes it easier to be in the gym, and it makes it easier for everyone else to accept and love you.

If everyone could see everyone else the way their mom saw them, it would be a much better place for all of us.

You can be gay and be proud of that and not have to worry about being unsuccessful or unaccepted.

I spend so much of my time on the road and traveling.