Olympian Gus Kenworthy confirmed this
week that he's seeing someone.
The 24-year-old British-born American
freestyle skier won the silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in
Sochi, Russia.
“I got to a point where it was really
painful and it was taking a lot out of me,” he told PEOPLE of the
decision to come out.
He said that he was tired of “trying
to keep up the facade, constantly lying and avoiding questions and
dodging answers.”
“I just wanted to get to a point
where I was free. I don't want to be ashamed of part of me. I just
want to be proud of it. And I encourage that of other people,” he
said.
He added that he was overwhelmed by the
positive response that he's received.
The told PEOPLE
that his romance was still new.