YANQING, China—Asa Miller’s in China only for a little over a day but put his skis on and tried out Xiaohaituo Mountain’s slopes on Tuesday morning.
Miller’s objective is to acclimatize and shake off jet lag the soonest with his competitions in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics set in 12 days.
With his dad Kelly setting off for training, Miller immediately felt excitement over donning the country’s colors in the biggest snow sporting event in the world.
“I’m certainly inspired by all the people that I represent so I hope I can represent them with all the best I can,” the 21-year-old two-time Winter Olympian Miller told BusinessMirror.
“I’m very, very proud to be representing the Philippines once again. I hope to embody all the values that our country brings and share that with the people I meet here,” said the 5-foot-8 Miller, who’s seeing action in his second straight Winter Games.
Miller’s campaign in giant slalom are set on February 13 and the slalom three days later.
Miller wound up in 70th place among 110 skiers in giant slalom in his Winter Olympic debut in Pyeongchang 2018 and he’s focused on improving in these Games.
“We will have training sessions everyday starting today [Tuesday] to learn more about the snow and the hills,” he said. “My skiing has improved and I think I will do better than before.”
Kelly Miller said day one of training for his son went well.
“Our training day is completed. It was a success,” he said. “’Got used to the snow surface and Asa is skiing really well already.”
The National Alpine Skiing Centre is a breath-taking venue and to get to the top of the mountain, one has to take a half-hour cable car ride. Athlete will take seven runs on steep snow-covered slopes covering a distance of 9.2 kilometers with a vertical drop of 900 meters.
Miller is the country’s lone athlete in these Winter Games but is no alien to international competitions. He was a lanky 16-year-old when he first competed overseas at an International Skiing Federation competition at the Perisher Ski Resort in Australia in 2016. He placed a modest 25th.
The Millers arrived here on Monday morning and are bound to make the most out of the 14 day window before the competitions.
ASA MILLER INSPIRES
ASA MILLER’S stint at the Beijing Winter Olympics should open the doors for more Filipino athletes making it to the Games.
“Definitely, in the next Winter Olympics, we will have more entries,” said Bones Floro, chef de mission of the lean Philippine delegation to Beijing where temperature has plummeted to -10 to -15 degrees this week.
Floro said the Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation headed by Jim Apelar is trying very hard to further promote winter sports among Filipinos, who broke the ice in 2014 when figure skater Michael Martinez vied in the Sochi Winter Olympics.
“The number’s growing,” Floro told Tuesday’s online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum from the Athletes Village in Yanqing, China. “In snowboard, from one athlete they have around eight to 10 now. They’re getting there. We also have speed skaters now.”
Floro said Miller is in high spirits and has started training on Tuesday.
“He’s very positive and very passionate and very proud,” Floro told the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Philippine Olympic Committee, Milo, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, Unilever and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.with social media and webcast partner Prime Edge.
“He’s been excited for the last four years. He prepared for four years. He’s more prepared now. He has grown and he has matured. He said his equipment is first-rate,” Floro said.
Image credits: AP
