Eye-opener in Sochi

Before teenager Michael Christian Martinez dared to compete in Sochi, hardly anyone in our tropical country cared about the Winter Olympics. And for good reason. There is no winter in our side of the world. We don’t play ice hockey which is to the Winter Olympics like basketball is to the Summer edition. It doesn’t snow here and the closest to basking in a shower of flakes is enjoying the snow machines at the Baguio Country Club during the Christmas season.

But for two days last week, we were awakened to the magnificence of the Winter Games by a 5-7 1/2, 17-year-old high school graduate who lived his dream of performing on the global stage in a sport that is as foreign to Filipinos as snowboarding. It wasn’t easy for Martinez to make it to Sochi. A quick look at his resume reveals that he went through the wringer to qualify, gaining in confidence from one competition to another. He entered in figure skating competitions in Lake Placid, Croatia, Latvia, Estonia, Australia and many other countries while earning little attention from sports officials back home.

Martinez’ resolve was unflinching. He was determined to compete at the Winter Olympics and shrugged off a slew of injuries that came his way in the process. Back in 2009, he took a two-month rest from practice after a skating blade cut his thigh. Then, Martinez tore two ligaments in his ankle and later a medial ligament in his knee. Last year, he sat out two months to recover from a fractured ankle and early this year, was treated for an inflamed knee. Obviously, figure skating isn’t for the frail or faint of heart. It requires as much physical conditioning, discipline and training as basketball or football. Martinez may be slender and lean but don’t let his looks fool you. He wouldn’t be able to execute all those spins, twists, turns and the dreaded triple axel if his body wasn’t in shape and his mind wasn’t in focus.

* * * *

In Winter Olympic history, the Philippines has been an absolute flop, if not an embarrassment. At the 1972 edition in Sapporo, cousins Juan Cipriano and Ben Nanasca showed up to compete in the slalom and giant slalom events of alpine skiing. In the giant slalom, Cipriano didn’t finish and Nanasca took 42nd place. In the men’s slalom, both didn’t finish. Fil-Am lawyer Raymond Ocampo was 35 when he represented the country in luge at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Alas, Ocampo placed 35th of 38 and his consolation was he didn’t end up last. At the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, another Fil-Am Michael Teruel was 22 when he placed 71st in the giant slalom and 49th in the men’s slalom of alpine skiing. With that kind of history, it’s no wonder that Filipinos aren’t taken by the Winter Games – until Martinez came along.

Martinez’ story is inspiring. It was nine years ago when he became fascinated with figure skating, trying out the ice rink at the SM Southmall.  He improved from year to year, from competition to competition. He finished fifth at the World Junior Championships last year and is now ranked 30th in the world.  A month before the Winter Games, he hooked up with Russian coach Viktor Kudriavstev. Imagine if Martinez had the resources to train with Kudriavstev for more than just a month.

In Sochi, Martinez attracted a lot of media attention as the first Southeast Asian to compete in figure skating at the Games. When details of his journey to Sochi were made known in media, fans began to set their sights on the kid from Muntinlupa – not just out of curiosity but also out of sympathy. One detail that was highlighted was his appeal on facebook for help in creating a costume, an appeal that was picked up by a New York designer who donated a sequined and braided black-and-white outfit. The costume was perfect for Martinez’ rendition of Nino Rota’s “Romeo and Juliet” in the short program that was the qualifier for the medal round.

* * * *

Martinez made the 24-man cut in the short program, landing 19th of 30. Struck out were contenders from Spain, Austria, Italy, Canada, Australia and Russia. He scored 68.07 and outranked skaters from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Israel, Estonia and Romania. The youngest in the finals cast, Martinez performed for four minutes and 30 seconds to Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malaguena” in the free skate program. His routine took two minutes and 39 seconds in the short program. There were lowlights and highlights in Martinez’ last appearance but on the whole, he was warmly applauded by the audience that marvelled at the showing of the Philippines’ lone representative at the Games. He tallied 119.44 in the medal round and finished 19th overall with a total of 184.25. Gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan was at the top of the heap with 280.09 points.   

Filipino viewers couldn’t get enough of Martinez and waited until late Friday evening to catch his performance live on TV5. Martinez didn’t only mesmerize his countrymen but also a world-wide audience that applauded his history-making feat of not just competing in figure skating as the first Southeast Asian qualifier but also advancing to the medal round.

Here was a classic case of an athlete proving it’s not just the medal that counts in competition but it’s how you play the game. Martinez won the hearts of every Filipino with his gutsy effort at the Iceberg Skating Palace and the pride that he showed in holding up his white jacket with “Philippines” emblazoned on the back at the end of his routine. Now, he’s looking to join more high-level events to prepare for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.  It may not snow in our country but in Sochi, Martinez showed a rare ability to launch an avalanche of support for more Filipino athletes hoping to someday live their own dreams.