Coach Will Gregorak (left) and Asa Miller discussing their strategy prior to the men’s slalom race. HANDOUT PHOTO/POC
MANILA, Philippines—Seeking redemption, Philippines’ Asa Miller was instead met with disappointment as his campaign in the Beijing Winter Olympics ended with another incomplete run, this time in slalom.
Miller just couldn’t figure out the unforgiving Ice River as he recorded a DNF (did not finish) for the second straight time.
The Filipino-American, who is country’s lone competitor in Beijing, also failed to complete his first run in giant slalom three days ago.
“I have a fault also,” said Miller.
“With this type of snow, the skis were not responding very well for him so it’s very difficult to get his feeling on the skis and that’s how it goes sometimes,” Miller’s American coach Will Gregorak said. “You hoped that it wouldn’t happen in the Olympics, but that’s ski racing and that’s the nature of the sport, and that’s slalom racing.”
The 21-year-old Miller, in his second Olympics, was among the 34 competitors who skied out while one got disqualified and the other didn’t start.
France’s Clement Noel, who was running sixth after the first run, took home the gold after a blistering second run that saw him clock 49.79 seconds.
Austrian Johannes Strolz, who had a narrow lead heading into the second run, settled for silver, finishing 0.61 seconds behind Noel.
“Skiing is one of those things where you have to think about it as a season-long thing,” Gregorak said. “Nobody on any given day can guarantee what will happen to skiers or what they do over a season because there’s so much variability, where the Olympics is really the star of all races and that’s something we care about a lot.”
“But it’s still ski racing, you cannot put too much in one race,” he added.
Miller came into Beijing hoping to improve on his 70th-place finish in giant slalom in Pyeongyang four years ago.
Armed with experience, Miller was expected to do just that but things just didn’t fall into place.
“I’m really proud of Asa for the composure he showed this week,” Gregorak said. “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,” he added.