Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 12) – Filipino alpine skier Asa Miller expressed his readiness for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics giant slalom competition on Sunday at the National Alpine Skiing Centre in Yanqing, China.
“Am I ready? Yes, I am,” Miller said on his last training day on Saturday.
The 21-year-old Olympian emphasized that he will do his best to stay relaxed when he glides into the challenging slopes of the Xiaohaituo Mountain.
“I don’t think I’m in contention to win gold, but I’m certainly in a position to improve my performance,” said Miller.
“I want to be better, improve on my previous performance and give a proud representation of the Philippines,” he added.
The Filipino alpine skier finished 70th out of 110 competitors in the same event during his Winter Olympics debut four years ago in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Miller’s American coach, Will Gregorak, said the confidence exhibited by the Oregon-born skier during the training sessions will make a difference on competition day.
“He’s executing a movement pattern really well right off the bat today, which is what you want to see as we get to race time. We’re all good,” said Gregorak, who earlier stated that Miller can land a top 45 finish in the giant slalom event.
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Philippine Olympic Committee President Bambol Tolentino is hopeful Miller will not suffer any injury during his stint and will be the fastest Southeast Asian skier in the competition.
“Go after your goal, but remember, you don’t have to do things in a hurry, you’re still young and the medal even the gold could come at the opportune time,” said Tolentino.
Meanwhile, Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez also sent his good luck wishes for the lone Filipino athlete in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Ramirez also compared Miller to the country’s first Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, who persevered over the years before achieving their athletic goals.
“I watched Hidilyn grow and blossom into an Olympic champion and what I saw in her was her discipline and determination to win,” Ramirez said.
“For Asa, I am confident that he will carry the same determination, discipline and focus when he competes against the world’s best,” he also said.
The first run of the men’s giant slalom event will start at 10:15 a.m. and the second run will commence at 1:45 p.m.
After the giant slalom event, Miller will be back at the slopes on Feb. 16 for the slalom competition.
