Metro Manila, Philippines – Philippines’ Francis Ceccarelli placed 54th in the men’s giant slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Saturday evening, Feb. 14 (Manila time).
Wearing bib no. 67, Ceccarelli registered a time of 1 minute and 27.36 seconds to place 57th during Run 1, sliding down the course at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy.
In his second run, he clocked 1 minute and 20.87 seconds to finish 53rd, improving his final standing to 54th out of 81 entries.
A dozen were declared DNF or “did not finish.”
The 22-year-old Filipino-Italian alpine skier was 23.23 seconds away in total time from Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who made South American sporting history in claiming the gold medal in the event.
Ceccareli said he was happy and emotional after making his debut in the men’s giant slalom discipline.
“We worked so hard. The next time we make it better and the best,” he said after the competition.
“[I am] so really proud because this experience [makes] me work a lot. We [are] working and [will] never stop,” he said.
Ceccareli represented the Philippines at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, in the men’s slalom event. He, however, was disqualified when he went out of slalom lines.
No matter — he will compete again on Monday afternoon, Feb. 16 (Manila time) in the men’s slalom.
