Palmer raised athlete competes in Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022

Palmer-raised athlete Grace Miller recently competed in the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China.

“It was super exciting and I was super proud to represent Team USA,” Miller said.

Miller was born in Guangzhou, China in 1999. Her mother adopted her when she was 3 years old and brought her to Alaska. She said that returning to China after all these years was a particularly interesting and memorable experience.

“That was a lot more emotional than I thought it was going to be,” Miller said. “I’m definitely happy to be an American, that’s for sure.”

Miller was raised in Palmer. She said that she currently lives in Montana, which is similar but she still misses her home state.

“I love the community of people. I think it’s a great place to raise a kid,” Miller said.

Miller said the main sports she focused on in high school were Nordic skiing and track and field.

“I really enjoyed jumping over things,” Miller said with a laugh. “I definitely like the idea of being able to go outside during the winter. I think without nordic skiing, I really wouldn’t know what else to do in the winter. There’s only so many snow sports that you can do.”

This was Miller’s second time representing Team USA in the Paralympics. She said that she was recruited for the Paralympics when she was in high school. She competed for the first time in 2018 when she was just 18 years old. She said that she trains all year long.

“It’s definitely exhausting,” Miller said. “It’s definitely changed me as a person. It’s definitely been some of the best times of my life.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com