Despite Olympic Crash, Gus Kenworthy Says He's 'Happy to Be Walking'

Even though he was able to get up and finish his run, Gus Kenworthy revealed he was "happy to be walking" after a frightening crash at the Winter Olympics that just concluded this past weekend in Beijing.

The crash was one of several to occur during the final of the men's halfpipe competition due to gusting winds that made conditions both difficult and dangerous.

"In skiing, wind is the biggest factor we face," Kenworthy told Eurosportafter the event. "Snow you can deal with, even if a course is not to your liking you can adapt, but when it is windy - especially when it gusts - it is out of your control and is a luck game."

Kenworthy admitted the run wasn't one he "wanted to do" and was glad he was able to finish despite the crash.

"Considering the conditions, I still had more that I wanted," the out Olympian admitted. "But after that bad slam, I am happy to be walking and land the run and getting through it in one piece."

Kenworthy was competing in his third and final Olympics, having won silver at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. While he competed for Team USA in 2014, this time he was skiing for Team Great Britain, the country of his birth.

Late last year it was unclear if Kenworthy would be able to compete at all after suffering a breakthrough case.

"With the Olympics less than two months away I'm incredibly frustrated but trying to stay positive and hopeful that this will pass," he wrote at the time in a post to social media. "Not sure what else I can do but wait."

Luckily his symptoms passed and he was cleared to compete.

Kenworthy famously came out at the height of his career in a 2015 interview with ESPN Magazine.

"Part of the reason that I had such a difficult time as a kid was that I didn't know anyone in my position and didn't have someone to look up to, who's footsteps I could follow in," he said in a statement at the time. "I hope to be that person for a younger generation, to model honesty and transparency and to show people that there's nothing cooler than being yourself and embracing the things that make you unique."

Since coming out, Kenworthy has been a visible and affirming presence for the LGBTQ+ community. He was recently seen kissing his boyfriend of two years, CAA executive Adam Umhoefer, amid the crowds at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado.

Despite the crash and conditions in Beijing this month, Kenworthy remained upbeat after the event.

"It is a good show despite how gnarly it is out here," Kenworthy said.

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