In our book, this kid is already a winner.
“Michael Christian Martinez, 17, the Philippines’ lone representative to 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, will try to win the country’s first Olympic gold medal even without financial support from the government,” reports ABS-CBNnews.com.
In an interview with Simone Oredain of the Catholic News Service, Martinez’s mother, Maria Teresa, revealed that they had “repeatedly requested support for her son from Malacañang but failed to get a response.”
“I don’t even think anyone at the President’s office knows there’s a Filipino skating in the Olympics,” Maria Teresa said.
READ: PH sends first-ever figure skater to the Winter Olympics
Though Martinez has the support of his sponsor and the Philippine Skating Union, the family still had to mortgage their house to help finance Martinez’s travel costs for international tournaments.
The report explained that “Martinez is hoping to at least place in the final 24 in Sochi, Russia so he could qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics, where he could compete with better preparation.”
Martinez first got interested in figure skating in 2005, when he hung out at the SM Southmall Skating Rink in Las Piñas City.
Screengrab of photo from the Michael Christian Martinez Facebook fan page
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