FILIPINO figure skater Michael Martinez gets to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea after all. This following the late call-up he received bearing the go-ahead for him to participate.

Following the pullout of Sweden’s Alexander Majorov for the quadrennial games happening from Feb. 9 to 25 in Pyeongchang, the name of Mr. Martinez was inserted in on the strength of finishing eighth in the final Olympic qualifier in September last year at the Nebelhorn Trophy Competition.

The finish was just a spot away from advancing as the top seven earned Olympic berths.

Being the first in the “wait list” though, Mr. Martinez’s name was elevated to the roster of competitors in the Winter Games by the International Skating Union.

The Pyeongchang Games will mark the second time Mr. Martinez will compete in the Olympics after making history in Sochi, Russia, in 2014, as the first Southeast Asian to participate in the competition.

He joins alpine skier Asa Miller in the team representing the Philippines in this year’s edition of the Games.

BusinessWorld tried to reach Mr. Martinez to get his reaction on the good news but he has yet to reply as of press time.

Reports have it though that Mr. Martinez said he and his team were “happy and excited” about the chance given him and that they would not waste much time preparing to give a solid performance during the competition.

Mr. Martinez finished 19th overall in a field of 24 at the men’s figure skating event in Sochi four years ago.

He represented the country in the Southeast Asian Games last year in Malaysia and brought home a silver medal. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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