2018 Winter Olympics: Filipino/American skier represents the Philippines

SCREEN CAPTURE

Michael Martinez will again represent the Philippines in figure skating.

THIS YEAR, the Philippines will be sending twice as many athletes to the Winter Olympic Games than it did in 2014.

Michael Martinez, who competed in figure skating at Sochi, Russia in 2014, will be joined this year by Asa Bisquera Miller, a teenage skier from Portland, Oregon.

Martinez almost didn't make it to PyeongChang, South Korea, where the games are being held this February, but a competitor from Sweden had to withdraw from the event last week opening up a slot for the Filipino Olympic veteran.

Martinez, 20, will be the "old-man" on the Philippines team. His lone teammate, Asa Miller, is a 17-year old high school senior who will be competing in the giant slalom event.

The Filipino/American's mother is from Santa Cruz, Manila, and still has relatives there. The dual citizen, who continues training in Oregon, was recruited by the Philippine Ski Federation, which has an office in Bellflower, California.

“I first started skiing when I was 19 months old when my parents put me in the skis and I began racing at 8 years old. My dad when he was younger first learning how to ski he saw the ski racers in Tahoe, California ripping around, and he had a vision for his kids to do that. From there he signed me up to ski race when I was 8 just to make me a better skier, and later it just picked up and I got more competitive I just started liking it a lot more and it drove me to get better.”

Asa Miller running one of the slalom courses in Oregon.

Miller currently competes for the Meadow Race Team in Mt. Hood, Oregon, where he had been competing for the past nine years.

The Filipino-American, who holds dual citizenship, competed at the FIS World Junior Championships in Sweden in last year, but he admits he didn't perform well.

“I went more for the learning experience and the opportunity to compete in a world event," Miller told The Cardinal Times, the official publication of Lincoln High School, Miller's current school.

Miller will be the fifth Philippine athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics. He’ll be the third to do so in the giant slalom.

For the Philippine Ski Federation that has been scouring the world for other Filipino athletes in snow sports, they hope that Miller is the beginning of a new era.

"Five young kids, up and coming kids that I’m really excited about and hopefully this will kind of jumpstart and just spread the excitement worldwide among Filipinos in the snow countries,” said president Jim Apelar.

The Miller family had started a Go Fund Me campaign to help finance his Olympic adventure, before they were told that the Philippine Olympic Committee had taken care of his accommodations.

Asa Miller, 17, is ready for his first Olympics.

The family will use the fund instead to help with the costs of other qualifying and training events.

“We’re obviously very appreciative of the support from strangers and friends and family but we’re here to support him,” said Miller’s mother Polly in an interview with ABS-CBN. “Whatever it’ll take to get him there and keep him healthy and competing and as long as he makes everybody proud where happy to do it.

Miller will leave for South Korea on February 5th, and will take part in the opening ceremony on the 9th, he’ll compete on the 18th.

“I still haven’t completely wrapped my mind around (representing the Philippines)," said young Miller. "I know the feeling is going to be pretty intense once I arrive in South Korea so I really can’t wait for that.”

Meanwhile, last September, the Filipino figure skater Michael Martinez finished eighth place among 26 participants in the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, just short from qualifying in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The Philippine Skating Union (PSU) said one competitor withdrew from the Winter Olympics, and Martinez was the first name on the wait list. Philippine Skating Union Sports Director Pico Martin said the International Skating Union offered the slot to Martinez.

Martinez first competed in the Winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, where he finished at the 19th place out of 24 skaters at the men's Figure Skating event.

PyeongChang 2018, the Winter Olympic Games, will take place from February 9 to 25.

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