Martinez advances to freeskate

MANILA, Philippines - Despite nagging pain in the hip, back, knee and ankle, Michael Martinez managed to advance to the freeskate competition by finishing 22nd of 24 qualifiers out of the short program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai last Friday.

Martinez, 18, was set to perform in freeskate late yesterday. He registered a total segment score of 67.03 points in the two minute, 50-second short program to the music of Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninov as choreographed by Russian coach Nikolai Morozov. The music for his four minute, 30-second freeskate was to be from Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Failing to qualify for freeskate were six competitors from Italy, China, Czech Republic, Belarus, Germany and Switzerland. There were 30 entries from 21 countries in the short program. Martinez finished higher than Japan’s Takahito Mura and South Korea’s Lee June Hyoung who were the last two qualifiers.

Martinez was the 12th skater called to perform. His total segment score was broken down into the total element score of 35.38 and total program component score of 32.65. First placer and defending world champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan registered a total segment score of 95.2 points broken down into the total element score of 49.92 and total program component score of 45.28. The factors in the total program component score are skating skills, transition/linking footwork, performance/execution, choreography/composition and interpretation. Martinez scored highest in interpretation with 6.75 points.

The top three skaters in the short program were Hanyu, Spain’s Javier Fernandez with 92.74 points and Kazakhstan’s Denis Ten with 85.89. A surprise high qualifier was No. 14 Ronald Lam of Hong Kong with 72.66 points.

Filipina entry Alisson Krystle Perticheto wasn’t as lucky as Martinez. In the women’s short program, the 17-year-old, Swiss-born skater wound up 34th of 35 with 38.75 points and failed to qualify for the freeskate. The last placer was Australia’s Brooklee Han with 35.54. First was Russia’s Elizaveta Tuktamysheva with 77.62. Only the top 24 finishers in the women’s short program advanced to the freeskate.

Martinez’ mother Teresa told The Star advancing to the freeskate wasn’t easy. “Michael’s injuries are still bothering him,” she said. “His hip and back are still painful. During training, you can’t really avoid falling. This week, he had a swollen knee and ankle so his therapist continuously treated him everyday. Before the short program, Michael underwent therapy just two hours before he performed to reduce the pain.”

Martinez was scheduled to undergo more therapy before performing in the freeskate. He sustained hip and ankle bruises from a bad fall during a practice in Anaheim last Feb. 4. He then flew to Manila for the PSA Awards Night. Last March 1, Martinez and his mother went to Bejing to hook up with Morozov and take advanced therapy. While in Beijing, he was stricken with gastroenteritis and hospitalized for two days. Martinez was off the ice for four days while recovering from illness.

Before competing in Shanghai, Martinez said his injuries were not completely healed “but I will try my very best to qualify for the freeskate.” For Martinez, it was mission accomplished. Martinez and his mother will return to Manila on Tuesday and stay until April 10. He is slated to defend his title at the Triglav Trophy in Slovenia next month in the last skating event of the season.