As PH curlers continue medal hunt, speed skater takes turn in spotlight
HARBIN, CHINA—Peter Joseph Groseclose isn’t overwhelmed by the depth of talent in the short track speed skating event of the Asian Winter Games here.
“There are a lot of impressive skaters here, but I don’t feel especially intimidated due to the fact that I know I can put up a good fight,” Groseclose said on Thursday, a day before competition starts on the fast and slippery course of the Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Center.
The 2024 Winter Youth Olympian opens his campaign in the men’s 500 and 1000 meters prior to the quarterfinals of the 1500 m on Friday, hours before the 9th Asian Winter Games officially heats up in an opening ceremony projected like no other.
“My best and favorite distance is the 500 m, but I think I can be strong in all three,” said the 17-year-old Groseclose.
He won’t be lacking in inspiration here.
Despite losing out on a chance to make the semifinals outright, the mixed doubles curling duo of Kathleen Dubberstein and Marc Pfister are still hot on the chase for a medal at this wintry city.
Undefeated Chinese
The Philippines needed a win by Asian No. 1 Korea against No. 2 China to have a chance at the No. 1 spot, which would have meant safe passage to the semifinals. But the host duo Han Yu and Wang Zhiyu slipped past the world No. 13 pair of Kim Kyeong-ae and Seong Ji-hoon, 6-4, to clinch the top spot unbeaten.
The Philippines finished No. 2 in Group B and will face Group A No. 3 Chinese Taipei in the crossover quarterfinals.
The Los Angeles-based Groseclose came close to bagging the nation’s first medal in the Winter Youth Olympics last year in Gangwon, South Korea, if not for an accidental crash that wounded his left foot.
Groseclose still finished fifth overall, the best performance of a Filipino athlete at the Winter Youth Olympics that surpassed figure skater Michael Martinez’s seventh place during the 2012 edition.
“For this competition, along with every other competition, my goal is to perform as well as I can. So far, practices have been good, and I think I’ll be able to give a performance I can be proud of,” said Groseclose.
Pfister and Dubberstein whipped Kazakhstan’s Azizbek Nadirbayev and Amina Seitzhanova, 11-2, on early Thursday evening in their final round-robin match in Group B to set a date with the Taiwanese on Friday. A win will put the Filipinos in the semifinals.
