Philippine winter warrior flies high

BORMIO, Italy — Dashing through the snow, Francis Ceccarelli booked a memorable finish in the men’s Alpine skiing event of the 25th Winter Olympics here.

Ceccarelli finished 54th out of 81 entries from 62 countries in the Giant Slalom that covered an icy 1.5 km course down the slopes of the Stelvio Ski Centre.

The snow fell hard Saturday as Ceccarelli, a debutant in the Winter Olympics, clocked 1:27.36 in the first run then 1:20.57 in the second.

Each time he crossed the finish, he celebrated by pumping his fist and pointing to a section in the stands where a small group of flag-waving Pinoys watched.

After the second run, as he screeched to a full stop, he flexed his body and posed like Bruce Lee.

“I’m really so happy today,” Ceccarelli told The STAR.

Ceccarelli said he was glad that his Italian parents, who adopted him when he was eight, were around as he made his dreams come true.

With a total time of 2:48.23, Ceccarelli, born in Quezon City, finished fourth among nine Asian entries, just behind skiers from South Korea, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and better than those from China, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro won with a time of 2:25.0 and gave his nation, where soccer is like religion, its first gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Marco Odermatt and Loic Meillard of Sweden bagged the silver and bronze with times of 2:25.58 and 2:26.17.

A dozen skiers were listed as DNFs (did not finish), among them three from Italy, and one each from Germany, France, Norway and the United States.

Ceccarelli rested yesterday morning and took a quick visit to the gym in preparation for his final event today – the Slalom, a shorter but more technical route with sharper turns.

The Philippines’ female entry, 17-year-old Tallulah Proulx, was competing yesterday in the Giant Slalom over at Cortina, which is five hours away from Bormio. The first Filipina ever to grace the Winter Olympics will vie in the Slalom event on Wednesday to cap the Philippine participation here.

Ceccarelli said he could have done better but his experience Saturday should provide him extra motivation.

“We worked so hard so next time (Slalom) we’ll be better or the best. We push for another day,” said Ceccarelli.

He said competing here, the grandest stage among all winter sports, will serve him well in the future.

“This experience will make me work and think harder. To work a lot and never stop,” said Ceccarelli.

NOTES: Filipino chef-de-mission Jezreel Apelar, secretary-general of the Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation, rued the fact that men’s and women’s Alpine skiing events are hosted 340 kms apart, making it nearly if not impossible for him to catch the two Philippine bets in action. He said a German coach had to rent a chopper to shuttle between Bormio (men’s) and Cortina (women’s). “Maybe I could hitch a ride with him,” said Apelar in jest…The ski resorts here in Bormio, a small town over 200 kms north of Milan, are made for the rich – or famous. A studio-type Air BNB good for a single person but with a majestic view of the Italian Alps could cost at least P25,000 per night.