Meet the Two Gen Z Filipino Athletes Competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Given how the Philippines is a tropical country and that it never snows here, knowing someone who plays or participates in winter sports is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But that hasn’t stopped Filipinos from trying to succeed in winter sports, because as we’ve seen time and time again, Filipinos can succeed in many sports. Take the Winter Olympics. Believe it or not, the country has participated in the Winter Games for decades now.

The Philippines made its Winter Games debut at the 1972 edition in Sapporo, Japan. Two alpine skiers, Juan Cipriano and Ben Nanasca, were qualified to participate. And just in time for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, running from February 6 to 22, the Philippines will be participating again with two athletes representing the country, as Francis Ceccarelli and Tallulah Proulx will be competing in the giant slalom and slalom events.

Francis and Tallulah are no strangers to representing the Philippines at international competitions. They competed under the Philippines flag at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, last year, albeit with Francis getting disqualified in the Men’s Slalom Run 1 event and Tallulah finishing 14th out of 44 in the Women’s Slalom Run 2 event. Still, it’s a feat in itself for these young athletes to compete at an Olympic Games, and to do so under the flag of a tropical country. Get to know more of these talented Gen Z athletes below.

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Tallulah Proulx – Already Making History at 17 Years Old

At just 17 years old, Tallulah Proulx has already earned her name in the history books even before competing in the Olympics. She’s the youngest Filipino Winter Olympian ever and the first Filipina to compete in the Winter Olympics. Not bad for someone who recently graduated from high school.

The Filipino-American athlete is from Utah, where the environment’s snowy mountains helped get Tallulah into skiing. Participating in the sport since she was three years old, Tallulah booked her ticket to Italy after earning 120 FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) points, the required points for qualification to the Games. Competing in her first Winter Olympics, Tallulah will vie for a medal finish in the giant slalom and slalom events.

Francis Ceccarelli – Filipino-Italian Proudly Representing the Philippines

Filipino-Italian Francis Ceccarelli was born in Quezon City. When he was eight years old, Francis was adopted by Italian parents and moved to Italy, where he currently resides to this day. His mother, former professional skier Lisa Seghi, was a big influence on Francis’s life in inspiring him to become an athlete. Despite his formative years being spent far from the Philippines, Francis still held his Filipino roots close to his heart. In fact, with the help of his mom, Francis gained Filipino citizenship in 2023 so that he could represent the country in international competitions, capping off a process that took more than three years to complete.

The 22-year-old athlete earned his place in the Olympic Winter Games through a quota spot, making him just the fifth Olympic alpine skier from the Philippines to compete in the Games after Juan Cipriano (1972 Sapporo), Raymond Ocampo (1988 Calgary), Michael Teruel (1992 Albertville), and Asa Miller (2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing). The moment is even more remarkable as this marks Francis’s first time competing in the Winter Olympics, and he has the unique distinction of competing in his adoptive country while representing his birth country.  

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Photos: TALLULAH PROULX (via Instagram), FRANCIS CECCARELLI (via Facebook)

The post Meet the Two Gen Z Filipino Athletes Competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics first appeared on MEGA.

Meet the Two Gen Z Filipino Athletes Competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics
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