Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy
stripped naked for ESPN the Magazine's 2017 Body Issue.
The issue, which hits newstands on
Friday, features 23 athletes in their birthday suits, including
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots
wide receiver Julian Edelman, San Jose Sharks players Brent Burns and
Joe Thornton, Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez and tennis star
Caroline Wozniacki.
Kenworthy, who came out in a 2015 ESPN
cover interview, shared photos from the upcoming issue with his fans
on Instagram.
“Y'all wanted nudes? You got 'em!,”
he
wrote. “So excited to finally get to show you guys my photos
from the @ESPN Body Issue! Everything about this shoot was
terrifying: I had to be naked, on a ski mountain, standing in the
snow posing in-front of a crew of 16 people for six hours.”
“Although that might sound like
torture it actually ended up being one of the most amazing
experiences of my life! It’s kind of crazy how quickly you can get
comfortable in an awkward situation with just a few shots of tequila.
Lol. I really can’t thank @benlowy (the photographer) and the rest
of the crew enough for making me so comfortable and for doing
everything to capture me in the best light possible.”
“The Body Issue is, to me, a perfect
combination of sport and art and I couldn’t be more proud or
honored to have been a part of it,” Kenworthy added.