Asa Miller got the feel of Chinese snow on Tuesday morning hoping to get acclimatized and shake off jet lag the soonest as his competitions in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics loom in 12 days.
Miller tried out the section of the slopes of Xiaohaituo Mountain with his dad Kelly and immediately had his patriotic blood flowing with excitement.
“I’m certainly inspired by all the people that I represent so I hope I can represent them with all the best I can,” the 21-year-old two-time Winter Olympian Miller said.
“I’m very, very proud to be representing the Philippines once again. I hope to embody all the values that our country brings and share that with the people I meet here,” said the 5-foot-8 Miller, who’s seeing action in his second straight Winter Games.
Miller’s campaign in giant slalom is set on February 13 and the slalom three days later.
Miller wound up in 70th place among 110 skiers in the giant slalom in his Winter Olympic debut in Pyeongchang 2018 and he’s focused on improving in these Games.
“We will have training sessions everyday starting today [Tuesday] to learn more about the snow and the hills,” he said. “My skiing has improved and I think I will do better than before.”
The National Alpine Skiing Centre is a breath-taking venue and to get to the top of the mountain, one has to take a half-hour cable car ride. An athlete will take seven runs on steep snow-covered slopes covering a distance of 9.2 kilometers with a vertical drop of 900 meters.
Miller is the country’s lone athlete in these Winter Games but is no alien in international competitions.
He was a lanky 16-year-old when he first competed overseas at an International Skiing Federation competition at the Perisher Ski Resort in Australia in 2016. He placed a modest 25th.
The Millers arrived here on Monday morning and are bound to make the most out of the 14-day window before the competitions.
Source: Philippines News Agency
