Gus Kenworthy on death threats and sixth-place Olympic halfpipe finish

Team GB freestyle skier gus kenworthy said he is "on the right side" after receiving death threats for posting a graphic critical of the United States' immigration enforcement agency, and then finished sixth in the Olympic halfpipe final — a top-10 result that kept him competitive at his fourth Games.

Gus Kenworthy on death threats

Kenworthy shared an image on Instagram that used an expletive before the letters "ICE" a week before he was due to compete in the Winter Olympics in Italy. He said the threats were "tough" and that "no-one wants to read bad things about themselves, things that are threats and violent and scary and homophobic. " He added that he took the threats "with a grain of salt, " saying he could not imagine writing such a message publicly and that those who do have "something wrong with them. "

Halfpipe final and top-10 result

Competing at his fourth Olympics, Kenworthy, 34, finished sixth in the halfpipe final. He won silver in the ski slopestyle at the Sochi 2014 Games and switched his allegiance to Team GB in 2019. The halfpipe podium was completed by a competitor who claimed gold and completed a set of Olympic medals, while another skier who had also spoken out about immigration enforcement finished 10th.

Ice enforcement tensions and wider backdrop

The social media backlash followed a pair of deaths in January when intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, 37, and fellow Minnesota resident Renee Good, 37, were killed by immigration enforcement agents in the city, sparking protests across the United States. An immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, named Operation Metro Surge, was described by a senior official as having detained many undocumented immigrants who had committed violent crimes and resulted in more than 4, 000 arrests; the official said the agency has always had a presence in Minnesota and would continue to do so. The enforcement operation and the deaths prompted nationwide protests and public debate, context that preceded Kenworthy's post and the threats he received.

Another competitor, who had publicly criticized immigration enforcement, made an "L" sign against his forehead during qualifying after an earlier public exchange in which he was called "a real loser" by the US president; the athlete said he had sacrificed his life to reach the Olympics and would not let controversy derail his performance.

Kenworthy's combined public stance and on-snow performance leave him positioned as both an athlete and a visible voice on a contentious issue during these Games. He remains in the competition schedule and active at the Winter Olympics while the broader protests and enforcement actions continue to draw attention.