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Gus Kenworthy branded a ‘traitor’ for joining Team GB at Winter Olympics
Gus Kenworthy has discussed the reaction to his competing for Team GB at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy which has included being called a “traitor”.
The 34-year-old Olympian who has dual British and American citizenship having been born in Chelmsford, Essex and growing up in Telluride, Colorado has come out of retirement to take part in his fourth Olympics. He won silver at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 and also competed in PyeongChang (2018) competing for the US. He took part in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing for Team GB.
Speaking to People recently, Kenworthy said he feels positive about skiing for Team GB. But despite his British family stemming from his mother, he said he’d “definitely gotten s***”, from people mad that he’s now on Team GB.
“People are like, ‘You’re a traitor,’ and I don’t think of it that way,” he said. “I had this choice in 2014 to go for either country and at that time I was like, ‘Well, I live in the States. I wanna go for the States’ and I did and I won a medal and I represented the States at another games after that,” he said.
Continuing, the athlete said: “I don’t owe anybody anything and it’s the path that I chose last time around to do it for my mom and this time around like I came back and had such short timing that even if I had wanted to switch, I wouldn’t have been able to.”
Kenworthy only came out of retirement in May 2025 saying: “It’s this Olympics or nothing. I’m never going to have this opportunity again.”
The out athlete also told People that with the “dog-eat-dog” world of the American team making the cut would have been a “nightmare”. And with only four spots up for grabs means “it results in men not making the US team that are world-class that could be on the podium that don’t get to be there”.
So, he removed himself from that struggle and moved over to Team GB. But he clarified: “I didn’t take that spot from anybody. That spot wasn’t a spot otherwise.” He continued: “If anything, I almost feel like it’s more patriotic I’m letting another American go.”
Kenworthy recently put himself forward for a role on Heated Rivalry season two by advertising his skating and hockey experience.
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