The three Filipino athletes in the Fourth Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon booked below modest results, but that’s no reason to sulk, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said on Tuesday.
“It only means we’re improving every year in winter sports and we’re all proud of them for being part of history as our young athletes there,” Tolentino said. “Thank you Peter Groseclose, Laetaz Amihan Rabe and Avery Balbanida.”
Cross-country skier Avery Balbanida finished 65th in men’s 7.5-kilometer classic of cross-country skiing on Tuesday morning, clocking 25 minutes and 15.90 seconds in the competition ruled by Germany’s gold medalist Jakob Elias Moch and Jonas Mueller and France’s Quentin Lespine.
He was 69th in the sprint freestyle on Monday as he survived the games unscathed—while speed skater Groseclose sustained a wound in his foot and missed a potential podium finish in the men’s 500 meters and Rabe didn’t start for the women’s slopestyle with a left knee injury following a bad landing last week.
Tolentino said having three qualifiers in the games for athletes ages 15 to 18 was already an achievement—the country had two representatives in each of the 2012 inaugurals in Innsbruck, Austria and 2020 edition in Lausanne.
“I hope they continue with their quest to qualify for the Winter Olympics two years from now,” Tolentino said.
Tolentino also congratulated Thailand for bagging a historic first medal in the Winter Youth Olympics courtesy of 18-year-old Agnese “Chomphoo” Campeolin women’s monobob of bobsleigh.
“Congratulations to Thailand, it only means Southeast Asia is vastly improving in winter sports,” Tolentino.
The Philippines, Thailand and Singapore were the only Southeast Asian countries which had athletes in South Korea.