Martinez ranks 26th in latest ISU world list

MANILA, Philippines - Michael Christian Martinez, who made history as the first skater from the Philippines and Southeast Asia to compete in the Winter Olympics last February, stood at 26th spot in the International Skating Union (ISU) World Standing at the halfway point of the 2014-2015 season.

According to the ISU’s computations for December, Martinez tallied 1831 points to earn his place among the elite single skaters of the world, a huge achievement for someone from a tropical country.

His idol, Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu (4702), ranked No. 1 at end of 2014 followed by Kazakh Denis Ten (3776) and another skater the Pinoy ace looks up to, Canadian Patrick Chan (3774).

The 18-year-old Martinez rose to prominence by qualifying for the Sochi Winter Olympics, placing a fighting 19th overall against more experienced rivals.

After the Olympiad, the Filipino bet won the gold medal in the Triglav Trophy 2014 last April, ending the 2013-14 season on a high note.

Martinez kicked off the 2014-15 season with solid performances in the ISU Challenger Series. He placed sixth overall in the SC Lombardia Trophy in Milan, Italy and copped a silver medal in the Warsaw Cup 2014 in Poland, where he posted new personal bests of 139.57 in free style and 213.38 in total.

He also landed 10th in the ISU Grand Prix Hilton Honors Skate America in Chicago, then placed sixth in the Golden Spin of Zagrev 2014, where he reset his personal high in short program to 74.75.

Fil-Am Christopher Caluza made it to the top 100, too at 58th overall with 918 points, gaining from his 19th place finish in the 2014 world championships.