Filipino alpine skier Ceccarelli ends up 54th in Winter Olympics giant slalom

MANILA, Philippines, February 18 ------ Filipino Winter Olympian Francis Ceccarelli finished 54th overall in the men’s giant slalom event at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy.

The Fil-Italian had a total time of 2:48.23 across two runs, which was 23.23 seconds behind the gold medalist, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil. Ceccarelli, a first-timer in the Winter Olympics, tallied 1:27.36 in the first run but improved in the second run with a time of 1:20.87. “I'm so happy, so really emotional because it's my first time. So I am so really proud of my work and for my country,” the 22-year-old said in a video posted by The STAR.

And despite his finish, he said he aims to do better and work harder moving forward. “Yeah, I'm so really happy for today… But we worked so hard and the next time we [will do] better and the best,” he added. “I'm really proud because this experience made me work a lot. And yeah, we're working and never stop.”

Sweden’s Marco Odermatt finished second in the event with a time of 2:25.58, while compatriot Loic Meillard brought home the bronze medal after tallying 2:26.17.

Source: philstar.com