Earlier today, we shared with you the fact that Gus Kenworthy has officially qualified for a spot in the U.S. Olympic skiing team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Now, Kenworthy will be joining figure skater Adam Rippon as one of the first openly gay athletes from the US to go to the Winter Olympics.
This comes just a week after he won first place at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen Snowmass, Colorado, which was one of the qualifying events.
“Very proud to be heading to Korea on behalf of my family, my hometown, the USA and the LGBTQ community!!! Woohoo!!!” he posted on Instagram.
On top of that, shampoo and conditioner company Head & Shoulders was quick to release a marketing campaign to celebrate Kenworthy participating in the Olympics.
As the company said in their official announcement:
“As the first openly gay action sports athlete, Kenworthy will be featured within the brand’s Shoulders of Greatness campaign, which highlights all of the things people carry on their shoulders—pride, pressure, expectations—and how that motivates them to overcome any challenges and focus on achieving greatness,’ reads an official statement from the brand.
‘Head & Shoulders celebrates how Kenworthy carries pride in himself, his country, his family and his community, allowing him to achieve greatness as he looks ahead toward PyeongChang.”
In addition, Kenworthy also shared how pleased he is to be a part of the company’s campaign.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Shoulders of Greatness campaign as it resonates with my journey,” Kenworthy says.
“Before coming out, I was carrying so much pressure that I put on myself.”
“It wasn’t until I made the decision to come out that I was able to release that weight off my shoulders and find the confidence to be myself, which allowed me to perform my best.”
