SKI and snowboard chief Jim Palomar expects Fil-Am skier Asa Miller, four years older and with more competition experience, to perform better when he represents the country in the Beijing Winter Olympics set to start on Feb. 4.
“Asa should perform better given his previous Olympic experience and the fact that he has been actively competing even as we speak,” the US-based Palomar said yesterday during an online forum organized by noted columnist and Palanca awardee Wilson Flores.
At 17, Miller made his Winter Olympic debut for the country in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in South Korea, finishing 70th overall in the men’s giant slalom event.
Joining Palomar in the session were Philippine Olympic Games President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and golf secretary general Bones Floro, who was named as national team chief of mission.
Palomar, a former skier himself and track runner, acknowledged the sport is expensive, citing one athlete who spent $20,000 (around P1 million) to compete and train year-round.
He credited the unstinting support given by the parents of Miller, whose mother, Polly Bisquera, was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
Tolentino said the POC would foot the bill of Miller and his coach, Will Gregorak, who are both scheduled to leave from Portland, Oregon on Jan. 28.
“While we have applied for PSC support, we will make certain that the Olympic expenses of Miller and his coach, including air fare, will be shouldered by the POC,” Tolentino said, adding that judo chief Dave Carter would be a member of the staff.
Miller is scheduled to compete in the men’s giant slalom on Feb. 13 and the men’s slalom on Feb. 20, according to Palomar.
