PH’s Martinez makes history at Sochi 2014

Martinez after finishing his men’s short program routine, Feb 13. Screenshot by author.

UPDATE: 1:12 AM, Feb 15) As of posting, Michael Christian Martinez is currently in seventh place in men’s free skate event in Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics late Friday night (Feb 14, Manila time).

Skating to the tune of Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malagueña,” Martinez earned a score of 119.44 for his routine, which lasted four minutes and thirty seconds. Making his Sochi 2014 performance a total of 184.25.

Right at the start, the commentators commend Martinez for starting “like a rocket” with his nearly flawless jumps.

On the first half of his routine, Martinez suffers a slight fumble but immediately recovers and went on to perform the rest of his routine with passionate determination.

“He’s giving everything that he’s got… He’s fighting right to the finish,” one of the commentators mentioned as Martinez nears the end of his routine.

When Martinez finished his routine, one of the commentators described his performance as “impressive.”

Martinez, placing third after two skaters, Uzbekistan’s Misha Ge and Belarus’ Jorik Hendrickx, after the first eight skaters finished. However, after USA, Canada, Czechoslovakia, and France,  Martinez dropped to 7th place.

He may not have the gold medal, but Martinez certainly made history by being the first and only Filipino delegate to the Winter Olympics in decades. The 17-year-old Olympian is also one of the youngest delagates to compete in Sochi and the first Southeast Asian figure skater in the Winter Olympics.