Pinoy skater vies in Winter Olympics

MANILA, Philippines - Youthful Michael Christian Martinez, the first Filipino figure skater to qualify for the Winter Olympics, is aiming to make the most out of his training stint in Moscow as he gears up for the 2014 Games slated Feb. 6-13 in Sochi, Russia.

Faced with funding problems, the 17-year-old Martinez could only commence serious training last Dec. 30 at the Novogorsk Training Center, a 20-hectare facility with a winter sports center for ice skating and speed skating, among others.

Russian coach Victor Kudryavtsev oversees the training of the Pinoy teener, who will likely be the youngest competitor in men’s figure skating in the Winter Olympiad. Kudryavtsev used to coach Martinez’ technical mentor, 1988 Olympic champ Ilia Kulik, who couldn’t attend to the Filipino’s training due to show commitments. Michael had previously trained under Kudryavtsev in his visit to Manila and in a camp in Switzerland.