Tallulah Pru makes history for Philippines at Winter Games (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: I can't even believe that I'm going. I don't think it's still fully hit me yet. I don't think it will until I'm actually there.

[00:00:06] Speaker 2: Ski racer Tallulah Pru is the first woman and youngest person from the Philippines to qualify for the Winter Olympics. There have been six male athletes that have competed in the Winter Olympics since the first year the country began participating in 1972. But there's never been a woman.

[00:00:20] Speaker 1: I met with the Philippines Federation and they were talking to me about the possibility of competing during the Olympics since I was their only like female participant. That's when I like the idea was planted in my head.

[00:00:32] Speaker 2: She started hitting the slopes at three. By seven, she began competing in ski racing. And now the 17 year old is headed to Milan for the games to compete in giant slalom and slalom.

[00:00:42] Speaker 1: I hope that me being at the Olympics and representing the Philippines like opens up like a whole new exposure to like sports and what it can become.

[00:00:50] Speaker 2: Pru's training has taken her across the world from her home in Park City, Utah, to Switzerland and Chile. But the dual U.S. Philippine citizens pride remains with the Philippines. And her biggest tie to her culture was her grandmother who passed away last year.

[00:01:05] Speaker 1: She really was like my biggest inspiration, especially for like wanting to go for this and wanting to represent the Philippines.

[00:01:12] Speaker 2: Despite the sport not being as popular in the Philippines, since snow has never been recorded in the country, Pru has gotten a tremendous amount of support from Filipinos around the world.

[00:01:20] Speaker 1: I would just want to show the Philippines and the whole world that, you know, Filipinas can do it. I'm super excited to and proud to be able to represent such an important part of my identity.