Martinez returns home, receives hero's welcome

MANILA, Philippines -- For a couple of extra hours, eager fans patiently stood in the glass partition down the ground floor and steel railing up in the second level of the Mall of Asia Ice Skating Rink hoping to see Olympic figure skater Michael Christian Martinez in person.

It was worth the wait.

After a 50-minute delay following a long flight from Moscow, Russia, Martinez finally arrived and received a hero's welcome befitting someone who made the whole country proud with his participation in the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Mindless of the jetlag, Martinez was honored with a motorcade that went through parts of Manila, Makati and Pasay City before proceeding to MOA where throngs of media men and hordes of fans await.

Apart from the money he had already received from generous donors including the $10,000 from sports philantrophist Manny V. Pangilinan, the 17-year-old Martinez received more blessings, from being given the key to the city of Pasay, to a lifetime privilege at all SM's skating rinks to another $10,000 from SM big boss Hans Sy.

Martinez thanked all of them and all the Filipinos who cheered and prayed for him in Sochi where he was the only Southeast Asian who performed there.

He also took the opportunity to share all the accolades he has received to fellow Olympians before him.

"I share this honor to all the Filipino Olympians before me," said Martinez, who was accompanied by mother Maria Teresa, Phl Skating Union chief Pochollo Veguillas, Sy and other sports and local officials during the presser.

Barely settling in the country, Martinez said he is set to leave in a couple of weeks to join the World Juniors Championship from March 13 to 15 in Bulgaria as part of his preparation for the next Winter Olympics in Pyongchang, South Korea four years from now.

And Sy said they are ready to give more support to Martinez.

"We are ready to give more support to him (Martinez) to make sure he gives us more reasons to be proud of in the Olympics," he said.

Martinez was particularly vocal of his gratitude to Sy and SM where he started as a wide-eyed eight year old dreaming of the Olympics.

With sheer hardwork and determination, Martinez worked his way through all the challenges that he faced, qualified in Sochi and, as the youngest of all men's participants, finished 19th overall out of the 24 who made the medal round.

He left the country an ordinary figure skater and went home a hero.