Asa Miller. | Photo from POC
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The two-time Olympian skier, Asa Miller vows to come back stronger and be more confident as he eyes the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
The 21-year-old Filipino-American skier faltered in his second Winter Olympics campaign in Beijing after crashing out in both the men’s giant slalom and men’s slalom event over the week.
It was a complete contrast in his debut in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics where he salvaged 70th place among 110 skiers in the giant slalom.
“We’ll have to see how things go four years from now, but I’ll certainly be a much stronger and much more developed skier if I continue skiing. So I’m hoping to make another appearance in the 2026 Olympics, but let’s see what will happen,” said the Economics student at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.
Despite his shortcomings in the Winter Olympics, Miller remained optimistic and plans to compete in more races in the United States and hopes to continue donning the Philippines’ tri colors.
“It’s hard to see what will happen, but I’m more excited to represent the Philippines, maybe in the World Ski Championships next year and some stuff like that,” Miller said.
Miller revealed that he lost his confidence in the last race due to the course conditions.
“So the snow is very slippery and very hard, and I didn’t quite feel 100 percent confident on my skis yesterday [slalom]. I believe it didn’t play well on my part. In ski racing, you have to be 100 percent confident in all you do,” he stated.
“There was a little bit of hesitation that led to a mistake. Yesterday wasn’t my day. I’m not comfortable with my skis, but there will be more races coming up. I’ll be back then.”
Nonetheless, he is very thankful to the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine delegation who supported him all the way.
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