Filipino skater Julian Macaraeg wrapped up the International Skating Union Short Track World Cup in Nagoya, Japan with another preliminary round exit on Friday, October 29.

Macaraeg finished fourth in his heat in the men’s 1000m distance after clocking 1:33.573, with only the top two from each heat and a maximum of six fastest third-place skaters advancing.

At second place midway through the race, Macaraeg got overtaken by Belgium’s Stijin Desmet (1:32.158) and France’s Tawan Thomas (1:32.262) as he failed to qualify for the next round in all of his events in Nagoya.

The 18-year-old also did not make it past the opening rounds of the 1500m and 500m events on Thursday.

It has been a rough campaign for Macaraeg in the first two stagings of the World Cup, which serves as a qualifier for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

Macaraeg made early exits in the 1500m, 1000m, and 500m events in the Beijing World Cup last week.

Seeking to become the first Filipino short track speed skater to reach the Olympics, Macaraeg will return to action in November for the last two World Cups in Hungary and Netherlands. – Rappler.com