Openly gay skier Gus Kenworthy qualifies for Winter Olympics

Even though it seemed inevitable that it would happen, openly gay freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy officially qualified for the U.S. Winter Olympic team on Sunday.

Kenworthy placed second at the final Olympic qualifier for freeski slopestyle, which was held Sunday at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. That result, combined with a victory at a selection event last weekend, qualified him for the Olympic team.

Kenworthy has been promoted as one of the faces of the American team, as much for being openly gay (he came out in 2015) as for his skill. He won a silver medal at the 2014 Olympics in slopestyle and will be a strong medal contender in Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month.

Kenworthy joins American figure skater Adam Rippon and Canadian pairs skater Eric Radford as openly gay male Winter Olympians. Before this year, there had never been a male Winter Olympian who was publicly gay.