Kenworthy defends his USA Winter Olympics snub as Essex sisters plan to face off

GUS KENWORTHY has defended his option to signify Group GB and never the USA — telling the web trolls that he desires to honour his mum, Pip.

The 30-year-old was born in Chelmsford, Essex, however his household upped sticks to Colorado when he was simply two.

As one of many world’s greatest freestyle skiers, he gained an Olympic slopestyle silver medal eight years in the past in Sochi as a part of an American 1-2-3 end.

Kenworthy additionally completed twelfth on the 2018 Pyeongchang Video games in South Korea below the Stars and Stripes banner.

But in contrast to in different sports activities, he has the power to modify sides and can compete in GB colors this time in Beijing towards youthful rivals.

There have been some accusations that Kenworthy has taken the simpler route and utilised the advantages of a second passport.

However he stated: “I grew up within the US however I lived for the primary couple of years of my life within the UK.

“My older brothers spent much more time there than I did. For my first Video games, I felt I ought to compete for the US as I used to be dwelling there on the time, I felt like an American.

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“There have been numerous totally different bumps alongside the street. Coming into these third Video games, I realised that I needed to go about it otherwise.

“I used to be very excited in regards to the concept of having the ability to honour my mum and her heritage and doing it for GB.

“All the children I’m competing with are 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. I’m 30. I wish to go one final time and get to wave the Union Jack for my mum and make her actually happy with me.

“The 2 greatest criticisms I get is that I’m solely going for GB as a result of I couldn’t make it for Group USA any extra. I actually don’t consider that’s true.

“I realise the USA group is insanely aggressive. However I really feel assured I may have made their group.

“The opposite criticism I get is I’m taking a spot away from a British one who has been coaching for this.

“However that’s additionally not the case. It’s a must to earn the spot. It’s not as if another person earned the spot for GB after which I’m taking it.”

Kenworthy got here out as homosexual in 2015 and says rivals have been supportive, though for years he was depressed hiding his true self.

There have been instances throughout my life the place I hated myself, I thought of killing myself, and I do know that’s the identical for a lot of LGBT folks

Gus Kenworthy

He stated: “We have been actually thrust into the limelight and have been the darlings of the Olympics.

“Three single guys. What’s your favorite sort of woman? Who’s your movie star crush? I used to be fairly gutted in my head the entire time. I’m homosexual. I wasn’t out on the time.

“I hated myself your complete tour following the Olympics. Felt suicidal.

“I used to be mendacity on all these TV exhibits and in interviews. I hadn’t informed my mum and mates I used to be homosexual.

“I wasn’t prepared to return out. I simply felt like such a fraud. So the next 12 months, I made a decision I might come out.

“There have been instances throughout my life the place I hated myself, I thought of killing myself, and I do know that’s the identical for a lot of LGBT folks.

“You will need to converse up and be out, and be proud and visual. As a result of that illustration issues and the visibility will change somebody’s life.

“I really feel generally individuals are like, ‘We get it, you might be homosexual, you don’t must preserve speaking about it’.

“However really, if that’s my legacy, I’m fairly happy with that.”

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SISTERS’ LOVE WON’T GO DOWNHILL

THE Gerken Schofield sisters will keep a united entrance after they compete towards one another for Group GB within the ladies’s moguls.

Essex-born Leonie, 23, and Makayla, 22, tackle timed runs over bumps in qualification tomorrow.

Leonie’s twin brother Tom can be a moguls skier however didn’t qualify for the Video games.

Requested how they went from Chelmsford to China, Makayla stated “We used to go on household snowboarding holidays round France.

“Our mum and pop loved it a lot in Chatel that they determined to remain for the 12 months.

“Then they thought, ‘The children are blissful, they’re having absolute enjoyable, studying one other language’.

“And so we by no means moved again. I used to be six years previous after we first went over there to reside.”

The sisters’ success spurs one another on of their pursuit of glory.

Makayla stated: “I’d say Leonie is rather more aggressive than me. I do keep in mind after we have been younger and the primary time I beat her, she was so mad.

“However as we now have grown up we now have grow to be happier for one another.”

Leonie added: “After I see Makayla, my twin brother Tom do effectively, then I’m very blissful.

“If Makayla wins a medal I’d be over the moon.”

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ELLIA WANTS A LATTE FANS

SPEEDSTER Ellia Smeding funded the lengthy street to China because of the candy scent of espresso beans.

The 23-year-old will probably be Britain’s first feminine long-track velocity skater on the Olympics for 42 years when she tackles the ladies’s 1,000 metres and 1500m disciplines.

Kim Ferran and Mandy Horsepool have been the British representatives on the 1980 Lake Placid Video games however throughout the 4 occasions they have been tucked away in the back of the pack.

Smeding lives and competes in Heerenveen, Holland, together with her boyfriend Cornelius Kersten, who himself ends a 30-year anticipate a British man within the occasion.

To assist fund their journey and coaching by way of the season, the ingenious pair arrange a espresso enterprise known as Brew 22.

And Oxfordshire-born Smeding stated: “Cornelius went to Japan for a World Cup and he discovered these single cup filters.

“I used to be actually enthusiastic about it as a result of we each actually get pleasure from espresso.

“And in skating tradition all people actually enjoys consuming espresso collectively of their free time.

“It had been a trouble bringing all the pieces to World Cups so we discovered these filters and began engaged on this undertaking.

We’re positively going to convey a complete bunch of espresso filters with us… we’ve already had requests from different skaters

Ellia Smeding

“With household and mates we began bouncing concepts round, considering perhaps we may arrange an internet store and use the cash to assist our skating and finance the Video games in 2022. And it’s snowballed from there.

“Now we have assist whereas we’re away. My sister, household and mates will leap in and assist out.

“Hopefully nothing will go incorrect whereas we’re away. It ought to all be superb.

“We’re positively going to convey a complete bunch of espresso filters with us.

“It relies upon how a lot weight we now have left in our suitcases.

“We’ve already had requests for espresso from different skaters within the village.

“We’ll take as many as we are able to.”