Asa Miller

Asa Bisquera Miller (born 14 June 2000) is a Filipino American alpine skier who competed for the Philippines at the 2018 Winter Olympics, in the giant slalom. He was also the country's flag bearer in the opening ceremony of the games. He previously took part in the 2017 World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships, in Sweden.

Asa Miller
Alpine skier ♂
DisciplinesGiant slalom, slalom
ClubMeadows Race Team (MRT) at Mount Hood Meadows
Born (2000-06-14) 14 June 2000
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in) (2018)[1]
Olympics
Teams1 – (2018)

Early life and education

Miller was born on 14 June 2000[2] in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, where he also spent his childhood.[3] His mother, Polly Bisquera, is from Santa Cruz, Manila, in the Philippines.[4] He studied at Lincoln High School in Portland for his secondary education. As of February 2018, he was in his senior year.[5][6] His first experience in skiing was when he was 1½ years old.[7]

Career

Asa Miller is part of the Portland-based Mt. Hood Meadows race team, and has been on the team for about a decade as of 2018.[5][6] He was eight years old[4] when he participated in his first race. His coaches at Mt. Hood Meadows are Erik Gilbert,[7] AJ Kitt,[3][6] and Brad Saxe.[2]

Junior World Championships

At the 2017 World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships in Åre, Sweden, Miller was among the participants. He competed for the Philippines in the slalom, giant slalom, super-G, and alpine combined, but he only finished the slalom.[2] Miller ranked 39th among skiers who finished the slalom.[2]

Winter Olympics

Miller realized in 2016 that he could compete for the Philippines in the Winter Olympics.[3] He has dual citizenship for the U.S. and the Philippines,[2][8] the latter acquired from his mother.[9]

Miller qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, by accumulating sufficient points set by the International Ski Federation.[10] For his qualification he participated in races within the United States as well as in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden. He is coached by AJ Kitt, who has represented the United States in four Winter Olympics,[3] as well as by Erik Gilbert[7] and Brad Saxe. For his Olympic qualification and journey, his family held a fundraising campaign through GoFundMe, while the Philippine Olympic Committee funded his Olympic participation expenses.[4]

Miller is one of only two athletes representing the Philippines at the Winter Olympics,[3] the other being Michael Christian Martinez.[11] He was the flag bearer for his country in the opening ceremony,[2][12] on 9 February and the closing ceremony on 25 February.[13]

His only participation at the games was in the giant slalom event,[6] which took place on 18 February. He concluded his participation in the race with a time of 2:49.95, ranking 70th out of 110 participants.[14][15]

Olympic results
Year
Age Slalom Giant
Slalom		 Super G Downhill Combined
201817—70———

Personal life

Aside from alpine skiing, he also plays baseball and does hiking and scuba diving as recreation. In addition to English, Miller can also speak French.[2]

References
  1. "MILLER Asa". EuroSport. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  2. "Athlete Profile: Asa Miller". PyeongChang 2018. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  3. Krupke, Nick (5 February 2018). "Lincoln HS senior Asa Miller to ski in the Olympics for the Philippines". Portland, Oregon: KPTV. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  4. Matel, Philip (20 January 2018). "PH Olympic pride rests on 17-year old Asa Miller's shoulders". ABS-CBN Corporation. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  5. Satumbaga, Kristel (9 February 2018). "Fil-Am skier tries to defy odds". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  6. Dooris, Pat (23 January 2018). "Portland high school senior to represent the Philippines at Olympics". Portland, Oregon: KGW. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  7. Geist, Luke (29 November 2017). "Senior prepares to compete in the Olympics". The Cardinal Times. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  8. McCord, AJ (26 January 2018). "Portland teen to ski for Philippines in Olympics". Portland, Oregon: KOIN. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  9. KGW staff (9 February 2018). "Oregon athletes in PyeongChang". Portland, Oregon: KGW. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  10. Bonilla, Ramon Rafael (7 February 2018). "Martinez, Miller in Korea". BusinessMirror. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  11. Satumbaga, Kristel (10 February 2018). "Norovirus downs 128 ahead of opening in Pyeongchang". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  12. Parry, Richard (9 February 2018). "Every flag bearer at Winter Olympics 2018 opening ceremony". London Evening Standard. UK. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  13. "Closing Ceremony Flagbearers - Olympic Winter Games, PyeongChang 2018" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  14. "Results – Men's Giant Slalom Run 2". PyeongChang 2018. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  15. Lising, Charmie (18 February 2018). "Asa Miller finishes 70th in giant slalom as PH's Pyeongchang campaign ends". ESPN 5. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
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