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JERSEY CITY, N.J. – When Michael Christian Martinez stepped out onto the ice for the men’s short program on Thursday night, he was already making waves as the youngest competitor at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. As the lone participant representing the Philippines, the 17-year-old from Paranaque, Manila carried the flag by himself during the March of Nations at the opening ceremonies, and with that the hopes of a nation.
As he skated out onto center ice, he took his time, shaking out any nerves he had before finally taking his opening position. Then, the music started. Skating to Romeo & Juliet by Arthur Fiedler, he easily sailed into his first jump, a triple axel, the first for a Filipino athlete at the Olympics. His transitions in and out of his spins and footwork were almost effortless, gaining speed and gliding across the ice. His only mistake? A step out on a triple toe loop, turned into a double toe loop, earning him a downgrade from the judges.
However, commentators during the initial broadcast also called out his landing on his first triple axel as “sloppy,” which I agree with. But this can be fixed right before the long program. The overall interpretation of his program was stunning and expressive, bringing to life the tragedy of Romeo & Juliet on ice.
Martinez earned a career-high score of 64.81 (33.31 technical, 31.50 component) for his performance and left the ice to applause. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan finished with the top score, setting a new world record with his his 101.45 tally to open up a 3.93-point lead on three-time world champion Patrick Chan of Canada.
While his scores were impressive, with a bit more training, Michael Christian Martinez can be a contender for the 2018 Olympics. Currently, Michael is sitting in 19th place heading into the long program, which, while a long shot for a medal, shows great potential for the future of men’s figure skating. – Rappler.com
Editor’s Note: Martinez will perform third tonight, with skating to begin at 11 p.m. MNL time. His program is set to last 4 minutes and 45 seconds long.
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