Martinez gets slot

Michael Christian Martinez Photo by June Navarro

Filipino figure skater Michael Martinez is set to appear in his second straight Winter Games.

Martinez, who competed in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, got a slot at the last minute after Sweden’s Alexander Majorov withdrew from the PyeongChang Olympics.

The 21-year-old Martinez placed eighth in the Nebelhorn Trophy Competition in September of 2017. It was not enough to secure an outright ticket to PyeongChang, but it put Martinez first on the waiting list in case of withdrawals.

Martinez placed 19th out of 24 skaters in Sochi, the first time a skater from Southeast Asia competed in the Winter Games.

He will be joined in PyeongChang by skier Asa Miller.