Asa Miller during the Beijing Winter Olympics. | Photo from POC
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Filipino-American skier Asa Miller faltered for the second time in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The 21-year-old Miller logged a DNF (did not finish) during his first run in the men’s slalom event at the Alpine Skiing Center in China on Wednesday afternoon.
This even if the weather was better compared to when he competed in the men’s giant slalom last Sunday, where he also failed to complete his run.
Miller was emotional, walking to the side of the race course with his head bowed down. He and 34 skiers failed to complete their runs among 89 starters.
“I have a fault also,” said Miller, who was accompanied by American coach Will Gregorak at the Athletes’ Area before deciding to go by his lonesome to the wax cabin below the finish area.
Austrian Johannes Strolz topped the first run and narrowly led over Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen and Sebastian Foss-Solevaag.
Despite failing to match his 72nd-place finish in his Pyeongchang debut four years ago, Gregorak remains proud of his athlete.
“I’m really proud of Asa for the composure he showed this week. The difficult hills, the difficult conditions and all the work and focus he put on to it—that’s all about being an athlete. You cannot guarantee the result but Asa proved to be a formidable Olympian,” said Gregorak.
Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation President Jim Apelar said he also remained proud of Miller for putting the Philippines—a tropical nation—on the Winter Olympics map.
“It’s disappointing, but that’s part of the game and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. We are here for a couple of things: competition and representation. So we can see positive things. We were able to raise positive things by raising our flag in the Olympics,” said Apelar.
/bmjo
READ MORE:
Asa Miller looks to bounce back in slalom event