FOR Francis Ceccarelli and Tallulah Proulx, young skiers based in Italy and in Utah but with Filipino blood in their veins, representing the Philippines in these Winter Olympics is like a dream.
Ceccarelli, a 22-year-old who was born in Quezon City and was adopted by Italian parents when he was eight, gets to live that dream today for Team Philippines in the Alpine skiing event.
Ceccarelli, who lives in Tuscany, which is roughly 500 kilometers from this small town of picturesque ski resorts and below-zero temperature, will plunge into action at 10 a.m. (5 p.m. Manila) time. He will have two runs in the competition schedule that runs until 3 p.m.
He will also compete in the Slalom event on Monday for another two runs at the snow-covered Stelvio Ski Centre.
Ceccarelli should enjoy the familiarity with the Italian Alps and the air, but not the competition course itself, when he makes his debut in the Winter Olympics. He became only the seventh Filipino skier since 1972, when the Philippines first participated in the Games held in Sapporo, Japan.
Ceccarelli will also compete in the Slalom event on Monday. He did one run at the official course Thursday morning and spent the rest of the day resting ahead of his official schedule.
Ceccarelli, who speaks mostly Italian, said it has always been a dream to be in the WInter Olympics, much more than represent his land of birth.
“Since I started skiing, my Filipino identity has always been with me. It represents where I was born and where I’m from,” he told Olympics.com in a previous interview.
Proulx, on the other hand, at 17 is also making her debut and is the first Filipina in the Winter Olympics. She is the second youngest to represent the Philippines in the Games after fellow Alpine skier Asa Miller, who saw action in the 2018 edition in South Korea.
At that time, Miller was over a month younger than what Proulx is today.
Like Ceccarelli, the young skier whose father hails from Eastern Samar will hope for the best in Giant Slalom and Slalom events but in Cortina, which is almost three hours by land away from Bormio.
Proulx, who learned how to ski at the age of three during a family trip in Tahoe, California, will be on deck on Saturday and on Feb. 18 also with two runs each day.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino has high hopes for the Filipino athletes in Italy.
“We’ve won gold medals in the Summer Olympics. This is another challenge for us,” said Tolentino, who is in Cortina, closer to Proulx.
“We hail our two athletes for making it to this year’s Winter Olympics and compete in Alpine skiing, a sport that most Filipinos only see on TV. Our tropical country being represented by these young athletes in Italy is a big achievement for us,” said Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio.
“The PSC and the POC are fully behind this campaign. From here on, we will make sure we are represented in the Winter Games. If we can win the gold in the Summer Olympics, which used to be a dream, we can also make it there.”
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