Martinez eager to move on as he gears for 2018 Winter Olympics

Michael Martinez competes in the men’s individual figure skating in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SEA GAMES MEDIA POOL

Michael Martinez could’ve had another golden moment for the Philippines in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games but he fell short in the men’s individual free skating event.

After his spirited appearance in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and gold medal finish in the Asian Trophy, Martinez was tabbed to take home the top prize in the Kuala Lumpur Games.

READ: Martinez bags silver, Perticheto wins bronze in figure skating

But Martinez settled for the silver and 40th-ranked skater in the world admitted the failure stung.

“To be honest, it hurt because my goal was to really win the gold medal,” said Martinez Thursday during their homecoming celebration at SM Megamall’s skating rink.

Martinez scored 171.63 points to place second behind Malaysian Julian Zhi-Jie Yee, who won the gold after scoring 205.43.

READ: Breaking the ice with Michael Martinez

The 20-year-old, however, is eager to put his frustrations behind as he looks forward to his next challenge—the 2018 Winter Games.

“For me, it’s still the Olympics over of the SEA Games,” said Martinez. “And of course this loss motivated me especially when the judges approached me [saying] that this was my best performance I’ve done in my career.”