Martinez places 19th in world skating meet | Inquirer Sports

Martinez places 19th in world skating meet

By: - Reporter / @jwpayoINQ
/ 09:53 PM May 31, 2016

Michael Martinez. FILE PHOTO

Michael Martinez. FILE PHOTO

THE LAST couple of years may have been a roller-coaster run for Michael Christian Martinez, but the Filipino skating star thinks he’s climbing his way up again.

Back for a brief break from his training in the United States, Martinez got a boost after improving his ranking in the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, where he placed 19th overall last March in Boston.

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He finished 21st last year.

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“I’m happy because at the start of the skating season, it was not as good as I thought,” said Martinez. “But by the end of the season, it was great.”

The 19-year-old Martinez, the first Southeast Asian figure skater to compete in the Olympics, has several international tournaments lined up in the next two years.

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Aside from aiming to qualify for the Winter Olympics again in 2018, Martinez looks forward to the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, where skating will make its debut.

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“My target is to be able to win the gold medal there and to help my fellow skater-athletes here to place there, too,” said Martinez. “For the next Olympics, I’m working hard to qualify again and to place at least in the top 10 or top five.”

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For now, Martinez takes a month-long break where he’s also set to conduct training camps with SM Skating from June 15 to 17 at Mall of Asia Arena and June 30 to July 1 at SM Seaside City Cebu.

“My journey has been full of ups and downs,” he said. “After the Olympics, it was really good. It wasn’t after that, but now, I think I’m heading up again.”

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TAGS: figuring skating, Michael Martinez, Sports

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