Team USA skier Gus Kenworthy breaks thumb at 2018 Olympics
American Olympian Gus Kenworthy may have broken his thumb during the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, but he decided to make light of it and jab Mike Pence as well.
The 26-year-old British-born freestyle skier tweeted a photo of his injury — along with an X-Ray — Thursday evening and said he will still compete despite the setback. However, the openly gay Kenworthy also joked his injury impedes him from shaking the Vice President’s hand.
Pence is vehemently anti-gay, and is even an advocate for gay conversion therapy. He traveled with the U.S. delegation for the Olympics this year in South Korea. Figure skater Adam Rippon is among the other gay Americans competing in the Games who has said he refuses to meet the Vice President. Pence tweeted near the start of the games that he fully supports all U.S. athletes, including Rippon, and hopes they win the gold.
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Kenworthy has previously said he “would be proud” not to visit the White House after returning home from the Olympics. He won silver in slope-style at the 2014 Games in Sochi.
The young skier also drew respect and laughter from fans on Twitter after one user reacted to his tweet about Pence saying he was “obsessed” with the V.P. Kenworthy responded by noting this is the first instance he has mentioned Pence since the Olympics began, and added, “You’ve tweeted more about me than I have about him. Soooo actually it looks like YOU’RE the one who is obsessed with ME!”
Kenworthy’s two qualifying runs would be televised at approximately 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST on Saturday night in the U.S., and the finals would run from approximately 11:15 ET to 12:30 a.m. EST that same evening.
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