Martinez ‘still happy’ despite early Olympic exit

Michael Martinez was still happy about his second Winter Olympic stint in Pyeongchang. (PNA photo)

MANILA — Despite missing the second round of the men’s figure skating competition, Michael Martinez was still happy about his second Winter Olympic stint in Pyeongchang.

“I feel very, very happy. My coach is very proud of me,” Martinez said during a homecoming press conference at the SM Mall of Asia Ice Skating Rink in Pasay on Thursday.

Martinez was inserted to the competitors’ list at the 11th hour–two and a half weeks before the event proper to be precise–following the Swedish Olympic Committee’s decision to pull out its representative in the said competition.

Despite the short period of training–and even cutting down weight as it was revealed that Martinez turned to weight training after initially missing the Olympic qualification–Martinez made a flawless routine to the tune of “Emerald Tiger” in the Olympiad, although it was only good for 28th place out of 30 competitors.

“I skated my very best despite the short time. It’s very impossible for any skater to be able to do that, but I was able to do it and delivered the best performance,” Martinez said.

“To me, whatever the score is, I did my best. I loved it.”

Martinez did an encore of his performance during the press conference before he was handed a certificate of recognition by SM Lifestyle Entertainment chief operating office Herman Cue.