Filipino-American alpine skier Asa Miller carried the Philippine flag, as well as the entire country’s hopes last February 4 in the 24th Beijing Winter Olympics, hoping to earn medals in the men’s giant slalom event which took place on February 13 and the men’s alpine skiing event on the 16th.
1st (Sports) Love
Miller was exposed to skiing at a young age thanks to his father, Kelly Miller, a ski patroller in Mount Hood in Oregon. However, Miller’s first sport was baseball. Half the year, during summer and spring, he would take part in his high school’s baseball tournaments in which he played as a catcher. After falling for skiing, Miller eventually dropped his first love, baseball, to focus entirely on skiing.
“As skiing became more serious, I definitely wanted to put all my time on it. The rest is history,” Miller said.
Having been exposed to the sport early on, Miller’s father would enroll him in different ski clubs and competitions. Succeeding in the competitive training he received during his high school years, Miller realized his potential to compete internationally.
“It really kicked in when I was 16 and I began ski racing for the Philippines and I thought we could make it to the Olympics with this,” Miller said.
Olympic Debut
In time, Miller made his Olympic debut at the age of 17 in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Despite notably being the first alpine skier representing the Philippines in the Olympics since 1992, he was, unfortunately, unable to bring home a medal.
After the disappointing Pyeongchang games, he decided to take a two-year break from school to focus on his passion.
“It’s tiring, having to hit the gym after school and put in a lot of hours of work,” said Miller, “but it’s worth it in the end.”
He eventually entered Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, to further fixate his attention on his sports ambitions.
Beijing Olympics DNF
With his hard work paying off, Miller qualified for the Beijing Winter Olympics, setting the record as the only Filipino Alpine Olympic skier to qualify twice. Unfortunately, he recorded a DNF (did not finish) in the men’s giant slalom event on February 13. He spent a total of 15.90 seconds on the ice.
Although disappointed, Miller still had hope with the men’s alpine skiing event on February 16.
The athlete lasted a full 36 seconds before going off the course. With his failed Olympic run, a disappointed Miller stated, “I also have fault.”
“With this type of snow, the skis were not responding very well for him. You hoped it wouldn’t happen in the Olympics, but that’s the nature of the sport,” added his coach, Will Gregorak.
He finished in a lower rank compared to his first Olympic attempt in Pyeongchang back in 2018, wherein he finished 70th out of 110 athletes.
"I'm still very, very happy representing our country and our flag. I want to relax a little bit and see some events that are still happening and I am looking forward to carrying the Philippine flag in the closing ceremony,” Miller said.
Despite his unsuccessful 2022 Olympic effort, the passionate skier promises to come back stronger as he looks forward to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
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