BEIJING, China — Two skiers from Oregon competed Tuesday evening in men's slalom at the Winter Olympics but were eliminated in their first runs.
Luke Winters of Gresham is the only American who competed in the event, while Portland's Asa Miller raced for the Philippines.
Winters and Miller were both listed as "DNF," or "did not finish" in the first run, ending each of their stints in Beijing. Medals were awarded to the winners of the second run Tuesday night.
While the night didn't go as hoped for Luke Winters, friends and family members were still excited to cheer him on from their home in Gresham.
“We're just super proud of him and thank everybody for supporting him,” said Luke’s mother, Marcie Winters. “You know a whole lot of people were rooting for him.”
Despite the disappointment, Luke's parents pointed out that his season is far from over. Up next he'll finish the World Cup circuit with back-to-back races in Germany.
“You know this is just part of a long journey for him,” said Luke’s father, John Winters. “We're proud of him for getting there… it's unfortunate but we're just happy that he got there and we're just enjoying the day and we're enjoying the moment.”
Winters made his Olympics debut over the weekend while competing in giant slalom. The 24-year-old skied out on his first run and did not advance to the second run. Despite his performance, Winters enters the Games in good form. He had his best career result just over a month ago with a 10th place finish in a World Cup slalom race in Adelboden, Switzerland. Winters is one of only six men who made Team USA's alpine team this year. It marks the smallest U.S. team since 1984.
Miller is a two-time Olympian and the only athlete to represent the Philippines at the 2022 Winter Olympics. The 21-year-old graduated from Lincoln High School and holds dual citizenship with the U.S. and the Philippines. Miller also raced in giant slalom over the weekend. He stumbled early in the first run and did not advance to the second run. As a 17-year-old, Miller also competed for the Philippines at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics where he placed 70th out of 110th in giant slalom.