Lucky in disguise for ski freestyler Gus Kenworthy. In the final of the Olympic halfpipe competition, the American, who started for Great Britain, fell badly. In the end, however, he escaped with a fright.
In the very last competition of his career, ski freestyler Gus Kenworthy caused a real scare at the Beijing Olympics. In the second run, the 30-year-old hit the edge of the halfpipe with full force and his back first during one of his jumps. Pictures of the fall suggested the worst, but in the end the 2014 slopestyle silver medalist was very fortunate.
“That wasn’t the run I actually wanted to show,” he said after the competition when asked about his horror crash. In view of the difficult conditions, he was not dissatisfied with his eighth place, “but after this fall I’m glad that I can still walk and came down in one piece.”
Kenworthy blamed the difficult conditions around the competition site in Beijing for his fall. The wind, in particular, caused him major problems, said the veteran starting for Great Britain.
“In our sport, the wind is the biggest factor there. You can deal with different types of snow. Even if you don’t like the course, you get used to the snow. But when it’s windy, especially when there’s gusts, you get caught out of control and it becomes a gamble,” said the 30-year-old after the competition on the “Eurosport” microphone.
With the competition in China, Kenworthy will end his long and successful career. “Skiing means the world to me. I started when I was three years old. I owe this sport forever. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of it and compete in three Olympic Games,” he said in his farewell -Interview.