Michael Christian Martinez of the Philippines reacts as his score is posted following his performance in the men’s short program figure skating in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Though he failed to improve his standing in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Michael Christian Martinez is proud with his showing in the men’s figure skating given the circumstances he had to deal with.
“With three weeks to prepare for PyeongChang and to be able to perform what I just did, that was just unbelievable,” he told INQUIRER.net in an online interview.
Martinez, 21, wasn’t even supposed to make it to the Games after finishing eighth in the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, which served as an Olympic qualification last September.
READ: Martinez finishes 28th, fails to advance to Olympics free stake round
But after the pullout of Swedish figure skater Alexander Majorov, he was given the last quota spot and earned his ticket to PyeongChang.
Despite the short notice, Martinez still pulled off a clean performance, scoring 55.56 in his short program performance, which was only good for 28th place among 30 competitors.
It may not have been enough to advance to the free skate round, where Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu claimed the gold medal, but Martinez was satisfied with what he was able to showcase.
“A lot of people knew about it and very surprised that the fact I am back on doing my triple jumps again and be able to skate a clean program is truly something else,” he shared. “Usually it takes two to three months to get the jumps the way it was before, and need at least another two months of training to be able to prepare for a competition, but I only did it in three weeks.”
With another Olympic experience under his belt, Martinez hopes that his showing would serve as an inspiration for the young figure skaters as he seeks to continue hoisting the Philippine flag in the Winter Games.
“I really worked so hard for me to be able to do what I needed to do out there. I really am proud that I get to represent our country at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. To be part of this Olympic Journey is truly amazing,” he said.