MANILA, Philippines – Michael Christian Martinez, who pulled off a couple of performances that put the Philippines on the world figure skating map, will still go home empty handed in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia
The 17-year-old Martinez though can hold his head high after getting rave reviews from commentators and uplifting the spirits of his countrymen who rallied behind him.
A solid showing in Friday’s free skate program wasn’t enough for a medal finish for Martinez, who was eventually surpassed by Jeremy Abbott of the US, Belgian Jorik Hendricx, Uzbekistan’s Misha Ge Uzbekistan and Florent Amodio of France among other competitors.
Martinez actually had a great start, at one point topping the field with a score of 119.44 after his finale for a total grade of 184.25. But he would dip further as his counterparts started climbing the ladder with their respective routines.
He took the rink as the evening’s third performer, and is at seventh place as of posting time.
RELATED STORY: $10K bonus awaits Martinez for Sochi stint
Martinez performed to Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malaguena,†drawing praise from the event commentators as early as his first triple-axel 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 bungled after another triple-axel try. He looked tight at times but managed to pull through with a performance that generated applause from the crowd.
A day earlier, he registered a score of 64.81 in the short program to end up at 19th and make it to the final round.
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.
“He’ll mature into a full performer,†said one analyst.