With the start of the 2022 Winter
Olympics just weeks away, Olympian Gus Kenworthy shared ongoing
health issues that could impact his participation in the games.
In an Instagram post, Kenworthy
revealed he was recovering from a breakthrough COVID-19 case and a
concussion.
“Six weeks ago I got a pretty bad
concussion while at a training camp in Switzerland,” Kenworthy
said. “Because I’ve had a few serious TBI’s (traumatic brain
injuries) in recent years the seriousness of each added concussion
has been stressed to me [sic].”
"I took two full weeks off and
followed all of the SafeSport steps to return to snow. However only
two days after getting back on skis I started feeling really sick:
fever, chills, etc. I took a COVID test and to my surprise it was
positive. Despite being fully vaccinated I had caught a breakthrough
case.”
“[I]n the weeks since, I've had some
ongoing issues with my head. Any time I've tried to workout or gotten
my heart rate up I've become very light-headed, disoriented and
nauseous,” he said.
Kenworthy explained that doctors
believe he is suffering from residual effects from his infection. He
added that dizziness and disorientation forced him to withdraw from a
World Cup event in Colorado.
The 30-year-old freestyle skier came
out on the cover of ESPN Magazine following his silver medal
win at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Four years later, during the Winter
Games in South Korea, Kenworthy made headlines when he kissed his
then-boyfriend Matt Wilkas after a run.
(Related: Gus
Kenworthy says he would kiss his boyfriend at Beijing 2022 Winter
Olympics.)
With the Winter Olympics starting on
February 4 in Beijing, Kenworthy said that he remains optimistic that
he can compete.
“With the Olympics less than two
months away I’m incredibly frustrated but trying to stay positive
and hopeful that this will pass,” he said. “Not sure what else I
can do but wait.”