Yanqing — Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz is offering Asa Bisquera Miller an inspiring piece of advice a day before the lone Filipino athlete in the Winter Olympics steps on Beijing soil on Monday.
“There’s no secret to success, but it takes a lot of patience to get one goal,” Diaz told Miller, who at 17 was nearly as young as Diaz when he made his Winter Olympics debut in the Pyeongchang games in 2018.
“You have to use this experience to inspire you to be a better person, a better athlete and do your best,” said Diaz, herself an innocent looking 18 year old in her first Olympics in Beijing, 2008.
It took Diaz four Olympics—16 years—before she reached the top of the world when she won the women’s 55-kg gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in July last year.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you try—first time, second time or third time—but what matters most is you love what you’re doing and you don’t regret anything,” Diaz said. “Just do your best for yourself, for the country and for your sport, enjoy everything, every moment for yourself, Go Team Philippines!”
Miller is competing in the giant slalom and slalom of men’s alpine skiing on February 13 and 16, respectively, at the Xiaohaituo Alpine Skiing Field in Yanqing.
He finished 70th among 100 participants in giant slalom in Pyeongchang.
Miller amassed 96 International Skiing Federation points in slalom and 93 points in giant slalom to qualify for Beijing.