Balbanida gets taste of wild Korean winter

GANGWON, South Korea — Avery Uriel Balbanida has the entire weekend to adapt to the Korean snow ahead of his first event on Monday in the Fourth Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Balbanida, 16, is entered in the men’s sprint freestyle on Monday and 7.5-km classic skiing on Tuesday at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre.

He’s here with his Canada-based Australian coach Allison McArdle.

“It’s truly an experience that I want to save here and just like I said before, the chance to ski with the greatest skiers of my age is something of a chance I cannot pass,” said Balbanida, a taekwondo black belt who’s also into roller sports. “So I’m going to take my time and enjoy the moment.”

The 11th grader at the All Saints High School in Calgary City stares at a start list of 80 skiers in his first event and expects athletes from Norway, Finland and Sweden as his toughest foes.

But he vowed to give the competition his best.

“I really want to try my best and I’m honored to be here,” he said. “Pressured? It will help me to be more motivated and it gives me more drive.”

Balbanida is the third Filipino athlete who qualified for these games with speed skater Peter Joseph Groseclose already having flown back to the US and freestyle skier Laetaz Amihan Rabe expected to return to Geneva on Monday.

Groseclose sustained a foot injury in the 500 meters while Rabe hurt her knee and didn’t start in her events.