Injured Martinez bags Slovenia skating gold
He bucked the odds like he often does.
Although Michael Christian Martinez felt he’s far from perfect form, the Filipino teen skating star again pulled off the unexpected when he bagged the seniors crown in the recent Triglav Trophy international figure skating competition in Jesenice, Slovenia.
Martinez was bothered by a knee injury just two months after he debuted in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia, where he surprised the skating world as the gangly kid from the tropics who only learned to skate in a mall.
Article continues after this advertisement“I was not very positive in winning the gold,” Martinez said in a post-event interview with the Los Angeles-based Examiner. “I am not yet 100 percent healed from my injuries. At some point I was tentative in some of my jumps in the long program.”
Martinez sizzled in his return to action as he topped the short program before ruling the free skate final round with 195.13 points.
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Michael Martinez bags gold in Triglav trophy