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It was a tender moment between two men in love, an openly gay Olympian kissing his boyfriend at the bottom of the hill during the ski slopestyle event.
The embrace was broadcast live on network television and has now become another notable occasion at a Winter Olympics which has been full of symbolism.
Four years ago, Gus Kenworthy had wanted to share a kiss with his then boyfriend at the Sochi Winter Olympics. But having yet to reveal he was gay, the slopestyle silver medalist had second thoughts. He was not ready for that to be his coming-out-moment.
But on a sun-kissed morning at the Phoenix Snow Park in Pyeongchang, the 26-year-old spotted his boyfriend Matthew Wilkas and the rest is LGBT history.
“It was the tiniest kiss in the world. I could’ve made out with him had I known,” Wilkas joked with reporters, unaware of the immediate worldwide attention their embrace had garnered.
“I think it’s positive, I think it’s great exposure, a great thing for our community, but I also partly think, ‘what’s the big deal?’”
Hungary's gold medal-winning short track skater Sandor Liu Shaolin embraces girlfriend Elise Christie.
US skier David Wise wins second straight Olympic halfpipe gold.
Kikkan Randall and Jessica Diggins win first US women's cross-country skiing gold.
Lindsey Vonn wins downhill bronze.
Sofia Goggia wins downhill gold.
Nigeria women's bobsleigh.
Martin Fourcade
Canada's ice dance gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
Team USA reach the men's ice hockey quarterfinals.
Cassie Sharpe
Lindsey Vonn
Canada tied for bobsleigh gold with Germany
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
Gus Kenworthy
Gianluca Costantini
Nao Kodaira
Ester Ledecka
Marit Bjoergen
Lizzy Yarnold
Matthias Mayer
Coy Wire
Yuzuru Hanyu
Michela Moioli
Pierre Vaultier
Mikaela Shiffrin
Aksel Lund Svindal
Shaun White
Chloe Kim
Marcel Hirscher
Adam RIppon
Mirai Nagasu
Red Gerard
Shiva Keshavan
Charlotte Kalla
Shani Davis
Kim Yo Yong and US vice president Mike Pence
Pita Taufatofua
The moments of the 2018 Winter Olympics -- in drawings
Kenworthy, competing with a broken thumb and suffering with a hematoma on his hip, finished 12th in a slopestyle final won by Norway’s Oystein Braaten. America’s Nick Goepper took silver and Canada’s Alex Beaulieu-Marchand bronze.
It was not a champion performance by Kenworthy, but his display on the slopes perhaps matters little, because the British-born freestyle skier has already made a significant contribution to these Games. His influence has reached far beyond his sport.
Gus Kenworthy's boyfriend Matthew Wilkas holds the rainbow flag as he watches the action.
Aimee Lewis
“I didn’t know that was a televised moment,” the 2014 silver medalist told reporters of the kiss.
“I think that’s amazing. That’s what I wanted to do at the last Olympics, to share a kiss with my boyfriend at the bottom.
“To be able to do that, to give him a kiss, to have that affection broadcasted for the world is incredible.
“The only way to really change perceptions, break down homophobia, break down barriers is through representation and that’s definitely not something I had as a kid.
“I definitely didn’t see a gay athlete kiss his boyfriend and If I had it would’ve made it a lot easier for me.”
Austria's Marcel Hirscher competes during the first run of the men's giant slalom. The Austrian dominated the men's giant slalom at the World Cup in Beaver Creek in December and took home his first gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Luca Bruno/AP
France's Martin Fourcade, right, barely beats Germany's Simon Schempp to the finish line to win gold in the mass-start biathlon.
Adam Pretty/Getty Images
Didrik Toenseth of Norway leads in the first leg of the men's 4x10km relay in cross-country skiing.
Adam Pretty/Getty Images
Japan's Nao Kodaira celebrates after setting a new Olympic record in the women's 500-meters speed skating event.
Vadim Ghirda/AP
Patrik Hersley, right, of Sweden, and Veli-Matti Savinainen of Finland get tangled up in the first period of their hockey game.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Patricia Mangan of the United States starts a training run for the women's alpine skiing downhill.
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
A couple takes a selfie as the German bobsled duo, Nico Walther and Christian Poser, pass by
Patrick Semansky/AP
Oscar Wester of Sweden competes during the men's slopestyle freestyle skiing event. Wester topped the table with his second-round score of 95.40.
Clive Rose/Getty Images
Manuel Feller of Austria crashes at the finish during the men's giant slalom in alpine skiing.
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
A woman's reflection can be seen as she watches a men's curling match.
Natacha Pisarenko/AP
Antoine Adelisse of France competes in the men's slopestyle freestyle skiing.
FAZRY ISMAIL/EPA-EFE
Canadian fans watch two-man bobsleigh heats.
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
The German team huddles around the net before their game against Norway during the men's ice hockey preliminary round.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Lindsey Vonn of the United States looks on during the alpine skiing women's downhill training.
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Lukas Runggaldier of Italy soars through the air during training for the nordic combined competition.
Dmitri Lovetsky/AP
North Korean cheerleaders sing and wave during the men's giant slalom.
MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images
Finn?Bilous, of New Zealand, gets up after crashing during the men's slopestyle freestyle skiing.
Lee Jin-man/AP
Alexander Bonsaksen and goalie Lars Haugen of Norway reach for the puck during the second period of the preliminary round of their hockey game against Germany.
Julio Cortez/AP
Luca De Aliprandini of Italy crashes during the men's giant slalom.
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
Christoffer Svae of Norway gives instructions to a team member during a curling round-robin session.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Winter Olympics: Sunday, February 18
Kenworthy came out in 2015, a year after winning silver at the Sochi Games. He has spoken at length about initially fearing losing sponsors and friends.
He has since emerged as a prominent voice in the LGBT community, has more well-known sponsors than ever before and in 2017 was awarded a Visibility Award by the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT rights advocacy group.
“We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it,” Kenworthy, one of a number of openly gay athletes competing at the Games, tweeted with a picture of him and his teammate Adam Rippon, another openly gay Olympian.
When he announced Saturday he had a broken thumb, Kenworthy also took a swipe at US Vice President Mike Pence. “Broke my thumb yesterday in practice,” he wrote. “It won’t stop me from competing (obvi) but it does prevent me from shaking Pence’s hand so… Silver linings!” he tweeted.
Kenworthy’s open contempt of Pence stems over the Vice President’s record on same-sex marriage and LGBT issues.
As Kenworthy trudged through a media warren following his disappointing display, he had already gained perspective. Though was to be no glory on the slopes, at least he was no longer hiding his true self.
“I’m bummed but I’m not sulking I’m not crying,” he said.
“I’m really proud to be here and being out at these Olympics has meant the world to me, just getting to be myself and be authentic.”
Afterwards a forlorn-looking Kenworthy met with his friends and boyfriend near the bottom of the course. Throughout the competition they had been waving rainbow flags and the Stars and Stripes.
Some wore jumpers with USGAY embossed on the front, while Wilkas held aloft a rainbow flag with ‘We love you Gus’ inked on it.
Among the Kenworthy crowd was Tyler Oakley, a YouTube star, television host and LGBT activist. The American described Kenworthy and Wilkas’ kiss as a “moment to celebrate.”
“At a time when his home country has officials that don’t celebrate that type of love, it’s important, it means something,” he added.
As fans filtered out of the park Kenworthy was still being asked for selfies. Even with no new Olympic medal to hang around his neck, this eloquent skier’s voice will still be heard.
