Camille Naredo

The Philippines' Tallulah Proulx at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Photo courtesy of Jezreel Apelar

The Philippines' Tallulah Proulx at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Article (news)

Winter Olympics

Mye Mulingtapang

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1771227311614021626_Tallulah Proulx 1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Philippines&#x27; Tallulah Proulx at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Photo courtesy of Jezreel Apelar" width="960"/>The Philippines&#x27; Tallulah Proulx at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Photo courtesy of Jezreel Apelar</div>MILANO -- At only 17, Tallulah Proulx made her long-awaited Olympic debut, in the process becoming the first Filipina and the youngest athlete from the Philippines to compete in the Winter Games.When she crossed the finish line of the women&#x27;s giant slalom on Sunday, the moment mattered more than the result for the alpine skier.&quot;I felt some pressure because there were a lot of people supporting me,&quot; said Proulx after her run. &quot;But at the same time, I know there are so many people looking up to me and cheering for me. No matter the result, I was going to be happy.&quot;She finished both runs of the Women&#x27;s Giant Slalom, placing 52nd with a total time of 2:41.62, +28.12 from the leader. But for Proulx, completing the course on the sport&#x27;s biggest stage was already a victory.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/2026/2/16/ph-s-tallulah-proulx-places-52nd-in-women-s-giant-slalom-0030">READ: PH&#x27;s Tallulah Proulx places 52nd in women&#x27;s giant slalom</a></div>&quot;When I came down, I was just so happy and so excited,&quot; she shared. &quot;Even beyond qualifying and finishing the course, it&#x27;s insane just being there. I saw the whole crowd. I saw so many people I looked up to my whole life. I was just shocked. How am I here?&quot; <div> </div><div>Pressure, Pride, and Perspective </div>Reality set in for Proulx at the start gate of her event, held at the Olimpia delle Tofane in Cortina.&quot;There was definitely pressure,&quot; she admitted. &quot;It was a lot to process. All the best athletes in the world are there. I stumbled a little bit, and it&#x27;s pretty scary. But I gathered myself pretty well. Just finishing made me happy.&quot; The Utah-based Filipino-American skier leaned on something bigger than nerves. She leaned on pride.&quot;I felt so honored being able to represent this part of my heritage,&quot; she said. &quot;I didn&#x27;t even know I was the first Filipina at the Winter Olympics. When I realized that, that&#x27;s such a huge role to go into.&quot; Instead of being overwhelmed, she turned that responsibility into fuel. &quot;Because I&#x27;m supported by so many people online, in the Philippines, everywhere, I was able to bring that into my race and use it as motivation to do my best,&quot; she explained.&quot;You could see in the video, I was really happy at the end. I finished, and my family was there too. I felt all the support from Filipinos all around the world.&quot;Her family stood in the crowd, and Filipino supporters from across Italy and beyond cheered her on.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1771227356647021626_Tallulah Proulx 2.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Philippines&#x27; Tallulah Proulx at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Photo courtesy of Jezreel Apelar" width="960"/>The Philippines&#x27; Tallulah Proulx at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Photo courtesy of Jezreel Apelar</div>Among those who rooted for Proulx was Herson Gonzalvo, who traveled from Rome to witness the moment and support the Philippine delegation.&quot;Our athletes who are here in Cortina to compete and carry the Philippine flag,&quot; he said. &quot;I can see that the support of each Filipino or every OFW is very important for them.&quot; Despite freezing temperatures and long travel hours, Gloria Ponce Blas-Liberato and fellow Filipinos made the effort to be there in person, knowing their presence mattered. &quot;We want to support our athletes who are representing the Philippines and carrying our flag, even if they are only two. We made the effort to show our support for them,&quot; Blas-Liberato said. Miles Ong, a Filipino Olympic volunteer, said Proulx remains very Filipino at heart.&quot;Tallulah is making Filipinos proud to be represented in the Winter Olympics. Making her feel our support definitely uplifts her spirit to continue to stand proud for her heritage,&quot; Ong said. <div> </div><div>Boost for PH winter sports</div>Proulx believes her Olympic debut represents something bigger than a single race. &quot;We Filipinos, we can do it,&quot; she said. &quot;There have been maybe four or five men in alpine skiing before, but it shows Filipinas can do it too.&quot; She pointed to growing winter sports initiatives back home, from roller skiing programs to ice skating and curling. For her, these developments signal the beginning of a new chapter. &quot;This is a whole new era coming to the Philippines with winter sports,&quot; she said. &quot;And I&#x27;m really excited to be such a big part of it.&quot; The biggest lesson from her Olympic debut was clear. &quot;I can always improve. I can always be better. I just have to remind myself of my motivations and the people supporting me. That&#x27;s when I&#x27;m least stressed and most excited.&quot;Proulx is still set to compete in the slalom on February 18.&quot;I&#x27;m so ready for the next race,&quot; she said.

At only 17, Tallulah Proulx made her long-awaited Olympic debut, in the process becoming the first Filipina and the youngest athlete from the Philippines to compete in the Winter Games.

At only 17, Tallulah Proulx made her long-awaited Olympic debut, in the process becoming the first Filipina and the youngest athlete from the Philippines to compete in the Winter Games.

Tallulah Proulx soaks in Olympic moment after historic Winter Games debut

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Tallulah Proulx soaks in Olympic moment after historic Winter Games debut

Mye Mulingtapang,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 16, 2026 03:37 PM PHT

Read More:

abssports

Winter Olympics

Milano-Cortina 2026

giant slalom

Tallulah Proulx

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