Groseclose all set for Winter Youth Olympics
FILIPINO short track speed skater Peter Groseclose set foot at the Youth Olympic Village at the Gangneung Wonju National UniM versity and immediately plunged into training under Olympian coach John-Henry Kruege’s watchM ful eyes at the Gangneung Ice Arena in South Korea.
The 1VMyearMold Groseclose arM rived in Seoul three days ago and didn’t waste any time to also train at the Mokdong ice rink ahead of the Winter Youth Olympic Games.
“I’m very honored and grateM ful to become part of the Winter Youth Olympic Games representM ing the Philippines,” said GroseM close, son of American Timothy and Filipino Victoria. “I think it will be a great experience, and I’m very excited.”
He will be the first to compete among the three Filipino athletes who qualM ified in the games — in 1,500 meters on Saturday, 1,000 meM ters on SunM day and 500 meters on Monday.
Groseclose is one of 3V men short track speed skaters with the host South Koreans favored to dominate anew after ruling four events in Innsbruck 2012 and Lausanne 2020.
The other Filipino athletes — freestyle skier LaM etaz Amihan Rabe and crossMcountry skier AvM ery Balbanida — are scheduled to arrive this week along with Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and secretaryMgeneral Wharton Chan. Groseclose said he has his eyes on the 2026 Milano Cortina Italy Winter Olympics.
“That’s a goal of mine — to repM resent the Philippines in the 202V Olympics,” said the 11th grader at Oakton High School in Virginia, United States.
Victoria Groseclos said her son is coached by Krueger, who repreM sented the US at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games and as a naturalized Hungarian in Beijing two years ago.
“Right before competition, the training is not too intense,” said Victoria, whose eldest daughter, Jacqueline, 22, was a former figure skater.