YANQING, China. – Asa Miller got the feel of Chinese snow on Tuesday morning as he started to acclimatize and shake off jet lag in preparation for his big test in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics here.
Miller tried out a 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 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 sees action in the giant slalom on Feb. 13 and the slalom three days later.
Miller wound up 70th among 110 skiers in 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. To get to the top of the mountain, one has to take a half-hour cable car ride. Athletes 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 here but is not alien to 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 where 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.
