Dog-lover, Olympic medalist, and model good looks? Yeah, Team USA's Gus Kenworthy has a few things going for him. This week, the freestyle skier first made headlines with his efforts to save some stray dogs in Sochi [1], calling them "the cutest thing ever" and making plans to bring them home [2] with him. Then, on Thursday, Team USA swept all three medals in the slopestyle event, with the 22-year-old Telluride, CO, native winning the silver.
Gus, whose full name is Augustus, spends his free time skateboarding and mountain biking, and there's some moving inspiration behind his skiing dreams. In September 2011, Gus told Men's Fitness UK [3], "When I was 14 my best friend Hoot was killed by a snowcat [a tracked snow vehicle] during a photo shoot in the Telluride terrain park. It was a really traumatic experience, and for a while I wasn't sure if I even wanted to ski again. In the end I decided that skiing is what I love to do, and I think that Hoot would want me to keep skiing and to succeed in it, so that's exactly what I'm planning to do." Seems like the winning athlete is on the right track. From his puppy-saving heroism to his hilariously cute singing of "I Will Survive," take a look at why people are crushing on Gus Kenworthy.
He regularly poses with dogs, and it's cute every time.
Seriously, every single time.
He even shares his ice cream cones with little pups.
He knew what he wanted to do early on, as evidenced by his second grade picture.
Did we mention he likes Slurpees?
And that he isn't afraid to belt out a tune?
There's this.
Meanwhile, he manages to make lounging around look cool.
He has a "winning" smile.
(Get it? Because he keeps winning.)
And could probably be a Crest spokesperson.
Also, he might moonlight as a Ralph Lauren model.
Or maybe he's just Charlie Bucket reincarnate?
I mean, it's uncanny.