Pinoy skater impresses, barges into medal round at Sochi

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ sole bet in the 2014 Winter Olympics put the country on the figure skating map after making it to the medal round of the men’s figure skating event late Thursday.

Michael Christian Martinez, 17, made the most of the unique opportunity as he scored 64.81 in the qualifying round, which is enough for a ticket to the round of 24.

IN PHOTOS: Martinez shines at Sochi Winter Olympics

The meek-looking Martinez wowed the crowd as he stepped on the ice and performed to Arthur Fiedler’s "Romeo and Juliet" at the Iceberg Skating Palace. The routine took a total of two minutes and 50 seconds.

He performed fifth in a pool of 30 skaters in the qualifier, drawing applause from the crowd afterwards.

Martinez, who will go down as the first Filipino and Southeast Asian skater to see action at the Winter Olympic, now seeks to sustain the momentum in the medal round scheduled at around 11pm Friday.

Ranked fifth in the world in the juniors division, Martinez netted a ticket to Sochi when he placed seventh in the Neblehorn Trophy Tournament in Germany last September. However, given the sport’s high-maintenance, he has been hounded by funding problems.

His mother Teresa Martinez said financial assistance from the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Skating Union, and SM was already used up both in training and in a five-competition sojourn that included the Olympic-qualifying tourney. – With report from Olmin Leyba