BORMIO, Italy — Tallulah Proulx, the 17-year-old Alpine skier representing the Philippines at these Winter Olympics, is so overwhelmed by the experience of being here.

Yet, Proulx is keeping her feet on the ground, realistic about her chances, her goals as she competes with the world’s best, people “I look up to,” in her chosen sport.

“I just hope that more Filipinas would follow in my footsteps,” she said over the phone from Cortina, venue of women’s Alpine skiing, and a back-breaking five-hour drive from Bormio, site of the men’s competition.

That’s her primary goal.

“I also want to represent the Philippines positively,” added Proulx, who never stopped skiing from the first time she put them on when she was three while on a family trip.

Proulx will try to set that trail for others to follow when she competes today in the Grand Slalom event at the iconic Tofane Alpine Skiing Center, which hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics.

The skier who traces her ancestral roots to Eastern Samar will perform two runs in the Giant Slalom with a distance of close to 1.5 kilometers, at least 50 gates and turns on a slippery downhill course.

On Wednesday, she vies in the Slalom event, a shorter but faster route, more technical with tighter turns. Each skier gets two runs, their times added to determine the winner.

Francis Ceccarelli, the Filipino Alpine skier, was competing in Giant Slalom as of presstime yesterday in Bormia, For the first run, he was No. 67 on the list among 81 competitors from 62 nations.

Ceccarelli’s schedule ends at 3 p.m. (10 p.m. in Manila).

Philippine delegation chef-de-mission Jezreel Apelar, secretary-general of the Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation, is confident of a good and memorable showing for Proulx and Ceccarelli.

“They’ve done everything to prepare for these Games,” said Apelar, who is having great difficulty finding time and the means to be with the two Philippine bets who are competing around 340 kms apart.

“If you’re CDM for a big delegation you need to shuffle six different venues and it’s very difficult. Even for me it’s hard with two athletes and two venues,” he said.

The Philippines first competed in the Winter Olympics in 1972 in Sapporo, Japan and fielded Alpine skiers Ben Nanasca and Juan Cipriano, and is in its fourth straight appearance since 2014 in Sochi where figure skater Michael Martinez saw action.

But Proulx will go on record as the first Filipina in the Games.

“Yes, especially being the first Filipina. I thought I was just the first (female) Alpine skier. But not the first Filipina,” she said.

Proulx said qualifying for these Games was a dream come true.

“It’s super exciting, of course, being here. It’s just overwhelming. It’s my first Games. It’s so cool,” Tallulah said.

“It’s crazy just being here. My family is here, yes, my parents and brother. They will all be watching on Sunday and I’m super happy they’re coming and being with me when I come to the finish,” she said.