Tesfamarian, Martinez join Winter Games

Alpine Skier Abel Tesfamarian and figure skater Michael Christian Martinez will carry the national colors in the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, on Jan. 13 to 22.

Tesfamarian, 16, who hails from the State of Eritrea in Africa and has Filipino blood, is set to compete in three of the nine events—slalom, giant slalom and super G—in alpine skiing.

The 14-year-old Martinez will likewise shoot for gold medals in three events in boys’ figure stakin—standard, short and long program.

Based in Switzerland, Tesfamarian wound up 65th out of 81 participants in the FIS (International Ski Federation) World Junior Championships held in Crans Montana, Switzerland, in January last year.

Martinez, one of the country’s top figure skaters, made news in 2009 after capturing the figure skating gold medal in the novice boys’ category of the Trnava Ice Cup in Slovakia.

Martinez is coming off a five-month training camp headed by a Russian coach based in Los Angeles, California.