Yanqing, China—Asa Miller didn’t put his skis on as he and dad Kelly opted to view the opposition in men’s alpine skiing on Monday at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
But it wasn’t totally a day off for the Millers. It was a day to revisit goals and strategies now that the younger Miller has gotten the feel of snow at the National Alpine Skiing Centre on Xiaohaituo Mountain after having been here for a week and training diligently for five days on skis.
His first event, the men’s giant slalom, is set this Saturday and the slalom three days later.
With almost everything in perspective, Miller, on his second consecutive Winter Games at 21, wanted to finish beyond 42nd place to set a standard as the best-placed Filipino in Olympic alpine skiing.
Ben Nanasca, along with Juan Cipriano, were the first Filipino Winter Olympians in the 1972 Sapporo Games. They were also the first from Southeast Asia and from a tropical country to compete in the Winter Olympics.
Nanasca, then 18, finished No. 42 among 48 finishers—Cipriano didn’t finish—in giant slalom, thus setting the benchmark for Filipino alpine skiers in the Games.
Miller, on the other hand, was 17 years old in his Olympic debut in Pyeongchang four years ago and wound up 70th among 110 competitors. He will be up against 150 rivals in Beijing.
“I want to be better, improve my previous performance and give a proud representation of the Philippines,” said Miller, whose participation in the two Winter Olympic are supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, headed by William “Butch” Ramirez.
“My training is very solid and I am looking forward to spending more time skiing before my competitions,” he added.
Kelly Miller, an employee at Microsoft, agreed with his son.
“Keeping the feel of the snow and being aggressive each run and attacking the hill,” said Kelly, a former ski patroller at Mount Hood Meadows in Oregon.