The Philippines is sending two Fil-American standouts in Julian Macaraeg and Ana Wahleithner to the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.
Macaraeg will see action in the short track speed skating event when the Games are held from January 9 to 22 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
On the other hand, Alpine skier Wahleithner is now in Lausanne.
Macaraeg, who hails from the New York, is on his final stages of preparations.
The 16-year-old Macaraeg will be heading for Lausanne on January 14, in time for his event scheduled event set from January 18 to 22.
In his Facebook messages, Macaraeg said that he has been training hard for the past seven months.
Summer preparations, according to Macaraeg, were done in Montreal, Canada.
Preparations and training were held under coach Marc Gagnon, and then at the Flushing Meadows, New York, under Serhiy Lifyrenko and Valentin Danilovsky.
He also trained under coach Elena Sklutovsky in Danbury, Connecticut.
Macaraeg’s coach Serhii Tkachenko and his parents are joining him to Lausanne.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Wahleithner, who is from California, will serve as the flag bearer of the PH delegation.
She will carry the Philippine flag in the parade of nations in Thursday’s opening ceremony, together with Chef de Mission Bones Floro.
Wahleithner’s coach Mamie Phela has been training the Fil-Am at the Diablerets, the venue of the Alpine skiing event, which is slated from January 10 to 15.
Wahleithner, the country’s first female Winter Youth Olympian, is entered in the girls’ slalom on Jan 12. She will take part in the giant slalom on Jan 14.
Her mother is Angela Reynado Wahleithner, a Davaoena, who is married to an American.
