Asa Miller out to redeem himself in slalom after DNF in first race

Asa Miller (left) preparing for his last day of ski training for Wednesday’s slalom event in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games here at the National Alpine Skiing Centre. HANDOUT PHOTO/POC

MANILA, Philippines—After a disappointing start to his campaign at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Asa Miller tries to redeem himself on Wednesday in men’s slalom.

Miller, the Philippines’ lone Winter Olympics bet this year,  failed to complete his run in giant slalom that lasted less than 20 seconds after an early slip resulted in a DNF (did not finish) amid the snowfall.

“Charged hard out the gate today, and sometimes it doesn’t all work out. Ski racing’s tough like that, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to be out here,” Miller wrote on social media after his giant slalom run.

“Even though it wasn’t my day, I’m super proud of all my friends who achieved and fought like hell for it. Onto the next…slalom coming at you on the 16th,” he added.

The two-time Olympian resumed training on Tuesday after taking the day off on Monday following a frustrating result.

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There was nothing too technical about Miller’s practice ahead of the men’s slalom competition with his American coach Will Gregorak making sure his ward has the right mindset heading into his last event.

“Trust your feet and trust yourself as the skier you are,” Gregorak told Miller in between training runs at the National Alpine Skiing Centre. “It’s similar to what I told you before—the best you can possibly ski on race day is to ski like yourself.”

The 21-year-old Miller kept a modest goal coming into Beijing with his sight set on improving his 70th-place finish four years ago in Pyeongyang.

Gregorak had said Miller is capable of finishing in the top 45 and his belief remains the same.

He just wants Miller to keep believing in himself as well.

“You’re not going to become another person and you are already an excellent skier,” Gregorak told Miller. “All you have to do is find the feeling that you already know.”

“When you get into the gate, it’s just you and the course. Go and have some fun by making your best turn,” he added.

Miller was among the 33 skiers who recorded a DNF.

The men’s slalom event, however, will see more competitors reaching the finish line, as per Gregorak.

“It’s an easier slalom hill than GS (giant slalom) where the upper and lower pitches were very difficult,” said Gregorak, a veteran campaigner in the World Cup during his heyday. “This is exactly a mellow slalom, not a particularly difficult hill so there should be plenty of skiers who will go pretty intensely.”

“GS is the purest form of ski racing and technically the most difficult,” he said. “Slalom comes at you the fastest even though you don’t move as fast as other events, but not technically difficult like GS.”