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MANILA, Philippines – On to the next round.
Filipino figure skater Michael Christian Martinez finished 19th of 29 in the figure skating men’s short program at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Martinez skated to an impressive performance which drew applause from the crowd in attendance. His Top 24 finish qualified him for Friday’s long program.
The 17-year-old figure skater from Paranaque, Manila garnered a score of 64.81 (33.31 technical, 31.50 component). He opened his program landing a clean triple axel, he is the first Filipino to ever land the 3 and a half revolution jump in competition. His only mistake was a incomplete rotation on the second jump of his triple lutz-triple toe combination.
Martinez’s odds were boosted when 2006 men’s gold medalist and two-time silver medalist Evgeni Plushenko withdrew unexpectedly with a back injury, narrowing the pool to 29. Plushenko led the Russian team to a gold medal in the team event last week.
(READ: What are Michael Christian Martinez’s chances at the Winter Olympics?)
“That was fantastic.”
That is how commentators at the 2014 Sochi Olympics described the historic debut of Martinez in the short program, as he stunned the crowd with his performance to the tune of the Romeo and Juliet Love Theme by Arthur Fiedler.
(READ: IN PHOTOS: PH enters Top 24 at #Sochi2014)
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.
The competition continues on Friday night with the longer free skate program, which will determine who leaves Sochi with a medal. – Rappler.com
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