Ski federation lauds first-time Olympian Asa Miller
CONSIDERING he was up against more seasoned athletes in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, the Philippine Ski Federation lauded the performance of firsttime Olympian Asa Miller.
While the 17-year- old Miller did not finish on the podium, still to see him handle the pressure of the competition and complete both runs in the giant slalom event on Sunday was in itself an achievement and something to build on moving forward, the federation said.
“In his first run he had a little bit of a problem but recovered and did extremely well in his second run as he ran five seconds better. He was ranked 104th [entering the event] but came out 70th,” said Jim Apelar, president of the Philippine Ski Federation, in a text message to Business
World following Miller’s Olympic debut.
“Asa is just 17 years old and those in the top are in their mid30s and have plenty of experience,” added Mr. Apelar even as he underscored the tremendous upside of the Filipino-American Alpine skier.
Portland, Oregon, resident Miller, who traces his Filipino roots to Manila, finished his first and second run in the giant slalom event with a combined time of 2:49.95, good for 70th place out of 110 competitors.
Miller struggled early in his first run, held at the Yongpyong Alpine Centre, to finish with a time of 1:27.52 but improved on it in his second run, clocking in with a time of 1:22.43.
Marcel Hirscher ( 2: 18.04) of Austria took the gold in the giant slalom with Henrik Kristoffersen (2:19.31) of Norway coming in at second and Alexis Pinturault (2:19.35) of France at third.
Competed in last year’s Junior World Championships in Sweden, teen Miller used the Olympic Games to further carve his niche as an Alpine skier.
“I am very proud to represent our country, and am happy to finish my race! I’m very thankful for all the support! I hope that my actions act as an inspiration for others to achieve their dreams.
Mabuhay!” said Miller in a post on the Philippine Ski Federation’s Facebook page.
Moving forward, the Philippine Ski Federation said it will continue to put in the needed work to advance the country’s snow sports program for future events, including the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
“Our snow sports program has no way [to go] but up. We look forward to an exciting next Winter Games as our young teenagers/ athletes try to compete and make it to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. This time we are shooting to have four to five new athletes ready to compete in various disciplines and events,” said the federation. —