2018 Winter Olympics: Gus Kenworthy breaks thumb; he'll ski, but no handshake for Pence

Rachel Axon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 10 to Watch: Gus Kenworthy Kenworthy won silver in skiing slopestyle in Sochi.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Freeskier Gus Kenworthy broke his thumb in practice but will still compete here at the Olympics.

The defending slopestyle silver medalist from Sochi tweeted a photo of an X-ray of his right thumb and one of it in a brace on Friday morning.

“Broke my thumb yesterday in practice. It won't stop me from competing (obvi) but it does prevent me from shaking Pence's hand so... Silver linings! Will be giving my teammates (and literally everyone else) an enthusiastic "thumbs up!" of encouragement the rest of the trip.”

While the injury won’t prevent Kenworthy from competing, it means he will likely ski without his poles. It also could be a factor in how he grabs his skis on tricks, a required part of his run that affects the overall style he will be judged on.

Kenworthy, who came out publicly as gay in 2015, has been critical of the choice to select Vice President Mike Pence to lead the delegation here in Pyeongchang.

Broke my thumb yesterday in practice. It won't stop me from competing (obvi) but it does prevent me from shaking Pence's hand so... Silver linings! Will be giving my teammates (and literally everyone else) an enthusiastic "thumbs up!" of encouragement the rest of the trip. pic.twitter.com/XylPPGAq9P — Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 15, 2018

Pence attended the opening ceremony a week ago. Kenworthy and figure skater Adam Rippon are the only openly gay Olympians on the U.S. team, and both have voiced concern about Pence’s treatment and policies on LGBT rights.

Kenworthy and Rippon met at opening ceremony, with the skier posting a photo to Instagram with the caption, “The #OpeningCeremony is a wrap and the 2018 Winter Olympic Gaymes are officially under way! I feel incredibly honored to be here in Korea competing for the US and I'm so proud to be representing the LGBTQ community alongside this amazing guy! Eat your heart out, Pence.”

Rippon’s spat with Pence has dominated talk at the Games, with USA TODAY Sports columnist Christine Brennan reporting the vice president was concerned enough about criticism from Rippon that his staff as the U.S. Olympic Committee to set up a meeting between the two. Rippon declined.

Asked Sunday if he would have any interest in meeting Pence, Kenworthy said, “I don’t think I have any inclination for a meeting. I think in terms of distractions, that would be a much bigger distraction for me, and I’m just focused on competing. I’m very excited to be here representing the U.S. and the LBGT community, and I’m very excited to have met Adam (Rippon). I met Adam at the opening ceremony, and I think he’s a tremendous guy.”

Contributing: Laken Litman