Martinez kicks off Winter Games stint

Michael Martinez performs at the Ice skating rink in Kuala, Lumpur Malaysia for the 2017 Sea games.
MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Hoping to make the most of his second chance, figure skater Michael Martinez kicks off the country’s campaign in the 2018 Winter Olympics on Friday in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Martinez, who earned a slot in the Games at the last minute, will be the sixth performer among 30 contenders in the short program event of the men’s single skating.

“Competition is very hard,” Martinez said in media interviews. “It will really depend on the judges.”

The Filipino skating sensation—the first Southeast Asian skater to compete in the Games when he qualified in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics—earned a slot to the Games just three weeks ago following the withdrawal of Sweden’s Alexander Majorov.

Martinez was first on the waiting list in case of withdrawals after finishing just a rung short in the qualifiers at the Nebelhorn Trophy Competition last September 2017.

The 21-year-old Martinez, who placed 19th out of 24 skaters in Sochi, will be the first Filipino to plunge into action before 17-year-old skier Asa Bisquera Miller debuts in the men’s giant slalom event on Feb. 18.

Miller, a native of Portland, Oregon, competed in the 2017 Junior World Championships in Sweden.

His mother, Polly, traces her roots in Sta. Cruz, Manila.