Olympic free skier Gus Kenworthy has a very special friend watching over him at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
In this bonus reading from Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry, Tyler Henry connects with Gus' best friend Hoot, who passed away tragically in a snowcat accident after a mountaintop photo shoot. The accident nearly stalled Gus' career and skiing ambitions.
"I didn't think I wanted to continue skiing after Hoot passed away," Gus tells Tyler. "I lost my best friend, like I just felt depressed and kinda like from that, decided to rise up and really continue with the things that I loved previously because I loved them and the things that he loved and if anything, try to put more emphasis on them to make a life out of them."
In a message from Hoot, Tyler validates that the Olympian made the right choice in continuing to pursue his dreams.
"Just so much appreciation, so much appreciation and what's so interesting is he's showing the symbology of handing you a torch and you're taking the torch and you're running with it. And I feel like this is his time now to give you that torch and to help be with you and he is," Tyler assures Gus who had now broken down in tears.
The message was a long time coming for Gus who says he has been waiting for this kind of reassurance for years. After getting confirmation that Hoot's spirit does in fact exist, Gus clues Tyler in to the details of his late friend's passing.
"Hoot and Colby and I and Grayson were at a photo shoot on the mountain after the mountain closed doing a sunset shoot in the park and we're getting a ride from the bottom of the park to the the top of the park on a snowcat and piled on the back and as it was it was going up the mountain, Hoot fell sideways over the side of it and was caught in the track and runover," Gus explains.
Ultimately, the openly gay athlete felt a lot of guilt after the accident.
"I know for myself, especially I was in the closet at the time, I mean hadn't told anybody that I was gay. And when Hoot passed away, I remember wishing and feeling like had it been me that died instead, everyone would have just remembered me in this great way and no one would have ever had to know this secret, that I thought was like a dark secret. So I think I felt guilt that he had died and not me and he didn't deserve to and I did..." Gus recalls.
Finally free from that guilt, Gus felt at peace knowing he's dedicated his career to Hoot and has his friend's spirit and support on his side as he competes in the Winter Games.
Check out the emotional reading above!