Filipino figure skater Michael Christian Martinez bowed out of medal contention in the men's single skating on Friday at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The 21-year-old athlete finished in 28th place out of 30 performers in the short program, failing to advance to the next stage. Only the top 24 qualified for the free skating event scheduled on Saturday, February 17.
Skating to "Emerald Tiger" by Vanessa Mae, Martinez displayed his flexibility and grace that earned him a score of 55.56 - 26.04 for technical elements, 29.52 for presentation, and no deductions. Of all the technical elements he showcased, he garnered the highest mark in triple and double toeloop combination (7.30).
Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu pulled off an outstanding routine to lead all skaters with a score of 111.68. Spanish Javier Fernandez and Japanese Shoma Uno completed the top 3 with marks of 107.58 and 104.17, respectively.
Martinez struggled to exceed and even match his results in the 2014 Sochi edition where he qualified for the free skate round and finished in 19th place overall. He also fell short of his personal best of 74.45 in the short program, which he achieved in the 2014 Golden Spin in Zagreb, Croatia.
The top Filipino skater initially did not secure a slot for the Pyeongchang Games after finishing 8th in the 2017 Nebelhorn Trophy last September. However, he got a late call-up when the Swedish Olympic Committee pulled out skater Alexander Marojov.
Martinez made history as the first Southeast Asian figure skater who made it to the Winter Olympics. He was the lone Philippine representative when he debuted in 2014. Now he is joined by 17-year-old Asa Miller who is set to compete in men's alpine skiing.