Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 11) — Filipino alpine skier Asa Miller can improve from his 2018 Winter Olympics performance and break into the top 45 this year in Beijing, his American coach Will Gregorak said on Friday.
“We’re going to see some good skiing from Asa. And if he skis what he’s capable of, he’s capable of top 45, easily,” said Gregorak, who arrived in Beijing on Thursday.
Gregorak, a former world top 50 alpine skier in both the giant slalom and slalom events, said the 21-year-old Miller’s technical skills and competitive attitude have been refined through the years he has been handling the Oregon-born alpine skier.
“He understands himself a lot better and ski racing is such a very variable sport that anything can happen on race day. So you have to go to the game charging with a lot of intensity and there’s always a lot of risks involved,” added Gregorak.
The American skiing mentor believes Miller will not back down from the very challenging slopes of the Xiaohaituo Mountain, located in the town of Yanqing which is 17.5 kilometers away from Beijing.
“Asa is not backing off from the very intimidating pitch, skiing confidently and looks like he’s doing very well mentally to prepare himself on what type of skiing he will put down on the race deck,” Gregorak said.
The Filipino American skier finished 70th out of 110 competitors in the giant slalom event in his Winter Olympics debut in Pyeongchang, South Korea four years ago.
Miller, the lone Filipino athlete in the 2022 Winter Olympics, will first compete in the giant slalom event on Sunday. He is also listed in the slalom competition on Feb. 16.
