Busy season for Martinez

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no rest for Olympic figure skater Michael Martinez who captured the gold medal at the recent Asian Open in Bangkok as he prepares for the US International Classic in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sept. 16-20, the Finlandia Trophy in Espoo, Finland, on Oct. 8-11, the Grand Prix event Cup of China in Beijing on Nov. 6-8 and the Warsaw Cup in Poland on Nov. 26-29 in the run-up to the World Championships in Boston on March 28-April 3 next year.

In all, Martinez plans to participate in at least eight competitions this season. He got off to a flying start by waltzing to the Asian Open title, beating runner-up Keiji Tanaka of Japan, 188.53 to 182.70, three weeks ago. Martinez, 18, had a flawless routine in the short program, scoring 72.14 points to Tanaka’s 61.64 as he skated to the music of Egmont, Op. 84 overture by Ludwig von Beethoven from Goethe’s 1787 play. But he took a tumble after attempting a difficult triple axel from a back cantilever position and was nipped by Tanaka in the freeskate, 121.06 to 116.39. Martinez’ cushion in the short program, however, was enough to clinch his first Asian Open title.

“I usually do the two mandatory triple axels in the first half of the freeskate but you get bonus points if you split and do one in the second half,” said Martinez. “It was risky. I did a clean performance in the short program so I took the chance with a big lead. I never did a triple axel from a cantilever position before so it was my first time. The triple axel I did in the first half was a regular execution. The more difficult triple axel is coming off almost a lying position, what we call the cantilever.”

The Asian Open was the second International Skating Union-sanctioned event of the newly opened season. There were nine entries in the senior men’s division with three skaters from Chinese-Taipei, two from Japan and one each from Australia, Hong Kong and India. Martinez said he often lost to Tanaka in the juniors but last year, defeated the Japanese – who is two years older – at the Triglav Trophy in Slovenia. This year, Martinez retained his Triglav Trophy crown.

Martinez was accompanied by his mother Teresa and Filipino coach Noel Nevida in Bangkok. “I didn’t know that my travel coach Peter Kongkasem, who is based in the US, would go to Bangkok so I asked coach Noel over,” he said. “I actually decided late to participate in Bangkok because I was still undergoing therapy for my lower back. I felt much better after doing rehab thrice a week with Dr. Martin Camara. I also worked out with Mart Sevilla at the ARMM (Athletics Rehabilitation and Mixed Martial Arts) Gym in Las Piñas to strengthen my legs and back. Two weeks before the start of the competition, I confirmed my participation. Luckily, it went well.”

Martinez said to improve his world ranking of No. 29, he has to execute more intricate maneuvers like the quadruple jump. “The other day, I did it but it was more like a 3 3/4 rotation. I was a fraction short of making a complete quadruple jump,” he said. “I’m thankful to Dr. Camara and Mart for getting me ready. I still feel some pain in my back but I can cope. I’ve been skating at the Mall of Asia rink and even on rough ice, I was able to do a Beillmann spin which I couldn’t do before because my back was so painful. I missed out on two preseason events in Detroit and Los Angeles to focus on my rehab. Participating in the preseason is important because it lets your nerves out and gives you a chance to evaluate your program.”

Martinez said he’s still tweaking his freeskate which he performs to the music of Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 by Sergei Prokofiev from the 1935 ballet. “My choreographer Nikolai Morozov wants to introduce some hip-hop steps in the closing,” he said. “I think there will be some modification. Since Nikolai is based in New Jersey, I’m not sure if my mother and I will relocate from Los Angeles to where he is. It’s a challenging season particularly since my goals are to finish top five in the Cup of China and top 10 in the World Championships. The good thing is I’m feeling much better physically, I’m not feeling so much pain anymore. I’m happy with my short program. It’s the freeskate where we need to make some adjustments.”

In Bangkok, Martinez outpointed Tanaka, 39.97 to 29.72, in the technical element score of the short program. But in the freeskate, Tanaka outscored Martinez, 58.4 to 53.39, in the technical element. The Japanese also beat Martinez in choreography/composition, 6.5 to 6.42, and performance/execution, 6.33 to 6.25. Martinez said he will work on his deficiencies and polish his freekskate before competing in Salt Lake City.

Martinez said he is grateful to the SM Group and SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy for his four-year contract to pay for overseas competitions, training, coaches, equipment and health care. He also expressed thanks to San Miguel Corp. and SMC president Ramon Ang for providing for his living expenses abroad for the next three years.