Martinez banners PHL figure skating team in 2017 SEA Games

Martinez, 20, saw action in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, 2012 Innsbruck Winter Youth Olympics and the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan last February. (Photo: Michael Martinez/ Facebook)

MANILA–Olympian Michael Christian Martinez will spearhead Philippine figure skating in the Southeast Asian Games slated from August 19 to 30 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Figure skating and ice hockey are two of the sports that will be introduced in the SEA Games.

Martinez, 20, saw action in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, 2012 Innsbruck Winter Youth Olympics and the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan last February.

Philippine Skating Union president Manuel Veguillas told the Philippine News Agency on Monday that Sapporo Asian Winter Games veterans Samantha Cabiles and Kathryn Magno, who are both US-based, and Jules Alpe likewise earned slots in the Malaysia-bound contingent.

Also joining the SEA Games are Alisson Krystle Perticheto and Asnawi Hadji.

Cabiles was born and raised in Lanai, Hawaii until she was nine years old. She moved to Michigan and started to skate at the age of 12.

Cabiles is a consistent honor student. She won the silver at the RIG Reykjavik International Games in Iceland and Summer Skate in Canada in 2015, and a bronze medal at the Triglav tournament in Slovenia in 2014.

The 20-year-old Cabiles, who enjoys photography, fashion blogging, trampoline, tennis and swimming, trains three hours on ice and two hours off ice.

Magno was born in San Jose, California. Her mother is from Quirino, Isabela while her father is from Subic Bay, Olongapo. She took up graphic design at the Art Institute in Sunnyvale, California.

Magno was a member of three figure skating clubs since 1995 before shifting to short track speed skating. Prior to the Asian Winter Games, she trained at the Olympic facility in Utah, United States for five months.

Magno began figure skating when she was five years old. She has competed abroad as member of the Philippine National figure skating team from 2008-2011.

“In 2014, I decided to try short track speed skating in which I found a new passion on the ice. That year, I was able to make history as the first ever Filipino speed skater to race and earn a speed skating medal for the country. I only hope I can make more history for our country in the sport as well as see the sport grow in a tropical country like Philippines,” Magno said.

In 2016, Magno won four gold medals in the International Skating Union (ISU) World Tri-Series SEA Cup in Singapore. She also got another gold in the ISU World Tri-Series Southern Cross in Australia in the same year.

Alpe, 18, is from Molino town in Cavite. He was a silver medalist in the 2014 SEA Trophy Junior Division in Thailand.

Perticheto, 19, won the gold medal at the Egna Spring tournament in Italy this year. Two years ago, she bagged the silver at the Skate Helena Cup in Belgrade, Serbia. She has competed in the free skate at three ISU Championships, placing 18th at 2013 Junior Worlds in Milan, Italy; 17th at 2014 Four Continents in Taipei, Taiwan; and 16th at 2015 Four Continents in Seoul, South Korea.