MANILA, February 14, 2014 (AFP) – Philippine Olympic figure skater Michael Christian Martinez was hailed as a hero on Friday even as a senior sports official denied accusations that the authorities experienced failed to assist him.
The 17-year-outdated, the lone consultant of the tropical country at the Sochi Games, produced historical past immediately after he certified Thursday from the men’s small system for the free of charge skate on Friday, inspite of numerous cons, which include getting forced to master his craft on a skating rink in a buying shopping mall.
Community information reports suggested his household had struggled to pay out for his teaching and that the govt did not provide any aid.
But Ricardo Garcia, chairman of the Philippine Sporting activities Commission, claimed Martinez experienced acquired sufficient monetary help from the governing administration and private donors.
“We are very content with his efficiency. For a dude who learned how to skate in the Philippines, to make it to the finals… it is actually awesome,” Garcia instructed AFP.
“This is a quite significant problem for us. We have an athlete who is an Olympian who manufactured it to the final rounds,” he additional.
Some of the country’s wealthiest tycoons ended up sponsoring Martinez and the national skating association by no means requested for further resources for him, Garcia mentioned.
The Philippine Olympic Committee requested the governing administration for $7,200 to protect some of Martinez’s supplemental fees but this income was introduced in December, he added.
Talking just after his general performance at the Iceberg Skating Palace on Friday, Martinez was elated with his general performance: “The very first 50 percent was quite superior, but halfway while the software I obtained out of breath, but I did my greatest all the way as a result of. This is the very first time I landed the triple axel in the second 50 % of the plan.”
He is currently seeking toward the up coming Wintertime Games in South Korea.
“If I can get extra help monetarily, I’m wondering about the next Olympics and getting a medal there,” he included.
Users of social media ended up agog around Martinez’s success in a sport so alien to his place.
Well-known director Jose Javier Reyes wrote in a concept to Martinez on Twitter: “The medal is immaterial. In the hearts of your countrymen, your feat is extra than an Olympic Gold. You Encourage!”
“Was teary eyed when I saw #MichaelChristianMartinez wave his jacket with PHILIPPINES printed on it. He put his heart&soul in his overall performance,” an additional tweet claimed.
Garcia stated the youngster experienced “the mindset of a winner” and would use his time in Sochi “as a stepping stone to acquire far more encounter for the upcoming Olympics”.
