By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Filipino figure skater Michael Martinez launches what could be his own “mission impossible” when he competes in the men’s short program today in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The event starts at 10 a.m. at the Gangneung Ice Arena with the 21-year-old sophomore Olympian fighting for slots among 29 other competitors.
Only the Top 24 skaters will advance in tomorrow’s singles free skate program, which also starts at 10 a.m. at the same venue.
Martinez flew from Los Angeles, California last week to get the feel of the competition early and so far, the Parañaque native is confident of his chances.
According to Chief of Mission Tom Carrasco, who was with the six-man Philippine contingent, Martinez has started doing routine flexibility warm-up numbers for 45 minutes before transferring to the skating rink where he was given slots to practice their routine along with the other participants.
He is grouped with skaters from Belgium, France, Germany, and Canada.
Every morning, he goes light jogging around the village and goes to the gym to be physically fit for the event proper.
“Alaga talaga siya, especially sa diet niya,” said Carrasco.
Accompanied by his Ukrainian coach Slava Zagorodnuyk, Martinez hopes to eclipse his 19th-place finish in his debut appearance at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
He was given the final slot only last Feb. 9 after Sweden decided not to use its allocation for the event. He missed the cut by a hairline in September last year after placing eighth in the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany, the final qualifying event for the Games.
