Martinez: No medals yet in Sochi; Targets 2018 Winter Games

Wikipedia

Lone Filipino bet Michael Christian Martinez is using the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics to gain more experience in the hopes of earning a podium finish when PyeongChang, South Korea hosts the next edition of the quadrennial Games.

Martinez qualified for the Sochi Games after placing seventh in the senior division of the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. He is the first Filipino figure skater to compete in the men’s singles, which start on Sunday.

“There’s little pressure since my goal is to reach the top 24 and reach the qualifying round. It will be a big accomplishment for me if I made it to the final round,” said Martinez.

The 17-year-old Paranaque-based skater admitted that he still lacks the experience that would earn him a possible bronze medal in the Winter Games.

“I’m not expecting to win a medal in this Olympics and I’m aiming for a medal in 2018 since my years of training are shorter compared to the other skaters. I think my Boston training was not enough. It will be tough for me in Russia,” said Martinez.

“I’m ready, but I lack more training. It will be difficult and challenging for me this Winter Olympics. I will be competing against seasoned and veteran skaters, much more seasoned and experienced than me. They have been skating even before I was born while some of my opponents are former Olympians.”

Olympic gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko of Russia, Vancouver Games titlist Evan Lysacek of the USA, and 2010 World Figure Skating Championships Daisuke Takahashi of Japan are some of the big names that will be competing in Sochi.

Martinez believes that Plushenko remains the skater to beat since the St. Petersburg-based Russian is a seven-time European Championships gold medalist and will be skating in front of the hometown crowd.

This will be the second time that Martinez will be competing against Plushenko after the 2013 International Skating Union Volvo Cup in Latvia where he placed fourth behind three Russian skaters.

“Plushenko won the event and I placed fourth. I cannot beat him yet since he is a far better skater than me. He is much experienced and gets full financial support,” said Martinez.

Martinez, who graduated high school last April, will also make the ultimate sacrifice of not yet skipping his freshman year in college to concentrate on his training and preparation for the 2018 Winter Games.

“I want to gain more experience and in 2018 win a medal. I still lack the experience compared to the other world-class figure skaters. Hopefully, after the Olympics people will slowly appreciate figure skating so I could get more financial support with my training,” said Martinez, who plans to coach once he retires from competitive skating.

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