Martinez off to solid start in men’s figure skating finale

MANILA, Philippines – Michael Christian Martinez followed up his impressive debut in the men’s figure skating event in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics with another remarkable performance late Friday, this time in the free skate program.

Martinez scored 119.44 in his free skate routine, which is good for first place as of posting time. This bumped his total score to 184.25 after his 64.81 finish in Thursday’s short program.

The 17-year-old Filipino skater performed to Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malaguena,” drawing praise from the event commentators as early as his first triple-axle attempt.

"That triple axle went up like a rocket. Super start," said one commentator.

Martinez’s performance though didn’t come without hitches as the skater appeared to bungle after another triple-axle try. He looked tight at times but managed to pull through with a performance that generated applause from the crowd.

Martinez already made history by becoming the first skater from the Philippines and Southeast Asia to see action in the Winter Olympics.

The commentators, for their part, saw potential in the meek-looking Martinez, who was the third skater to perform in Friday's round of 24.

“He’ll mature into a full performer,” said one analyst.