Coaches hope Martinez will do better in 2018 Games

MANILA, Philippines – The Filipino trainers of figure skater Michael Christian Martinez are hopeful that he will do even better in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games to be held in South Korea.

Martinez made his Olympic debut earlier this month in the Sochi Games, becoming the first Filipino to compete in the figure skating event.

He advanced to the medal round after a solid performance in the short program, and wound up finishing in 19th place.

Martinez wants to again qualify to the 2018 edition of the Winter Games, and his Filipino coaches are hopeful that he will perform even better then.

“Oh yes, kaya niya,” Coach Al Marinas said when asked if Martinez can be even better in 2018. “I think, basta dire-diretso lang ulit ‘yung kaniyang training, masuportahan ng maayos, I believe makakaya niya ulit.”

“And with much better scores this time,” he added.

Another coach, Roy Rones, said Martinez can even go for the gold.

“Get the gold next Olympics,” he said. “Kayang-kaya ni Michael.”

“Iba naman ang dedication ni Michael,” Rones explained. “Once na ginusto niya, gagawin niya talaga. With the help of his mom and the other people here, why not?”

Martinez’s mother, Teresa, had said her son will at least try for a podium finish in the 2018 Winter Games. “Realistically, at least bronze sana,” she said.

But a top three finish in Sochi was not possible, she admitted.

“Ang target lang naman niya is to qualify in the medal round, and he was able to do that. He ended up 19th,” Teresa said.

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S.Koreans blame Putin, bias for 'Queen Yuna' loss

SEOUL - South Koreans blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin and biased judging at the Sochi Games after their top skater Kim Yuna was denied back-to-back Olympic golds by Russia's Adelina Sotnikova.

In her final Winter Olympics, 23-year-old Kim was beaten by 5.48 points by Sotnikova, who secured Russia's first ladies singles gold, despite a flawless performance from South Korea's most loved and best-known athlete.

Many in this country of 50 million people stayed up until the early hours of Friday expecting to see "Queen Yuna" join Germany's Katerina Witt and Norway's Sonja Henie as the only women to win successive Olympic figure skating golds.

Instead they were left shocked and angry, and by early afternoon on Friday more than 800,000 people had signed an online petition demanding an inquiry into Kim's loss.

Mainstream newspaper Dong-a Ilbo thundered that the judging, which has been questioned by other athletes in Sochi, was "the home turf score plus Putin's score", referring to Russia's president who has made the games a testament to his rule.

Kim has battled injury to sustain her career and had a long term duel with Japan's Mao Asada that saw her win gold in Vancouver four years ago.

Many South Koreans said they believed the outcome would have been different had their country been larger and more powerful.

"Why did you invite all of us if you were going to have Putin's little sports meeting?" Bae Sung-jae, a commentator for broadcaster SBS, said on his Twitter feed.

The anger at Russia was matched by sympathy for Kim as South Korean television showed endless reruns of her performance on Sochi's ice through Friday morning along with footage of her rise to fame from her initial steps on ice as a young girl.

"Yuna was still so beautiful," said 32-year-old fan Kim Young-min in Seoul.

Despite the loss in Sochi, the phrase "Thank you, Yuna" topped the most searched keyword on the nation's biggest Internet portals Naver and Daum throughout Friday morning.

The skater thanked her fans after her loss.

"What mattered was that I was here to compete," she said.

After 17 years as a skater that saw her rise from a six-year-old kid who dabbled in figure skating for fun to the Olympic and world champion, Kim is preparing for the next chapter of her life.

Although she has not announced any specific plans yet, she has said she will not leave the sport completely.

"She is and will be our gold medallist forever and we will be rooting for her next phase of life," said 31-year-old Kim Byoung-in.

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Fil-Norwegian skater sneaks into medal round

MANILA, Philippines – Filipina-Norwegian figure skater Anne Line Gjersem sneaked into the medal round of the women’s figure skating competition in the 2014 Winter Olympics, placing 24th out of 30 contestants in the short program.

The 20-year-old Gjersem, whose mother hails from Isabela, garnered a score of 48.56 to become the last competitor to qualify to the free skate program.

She received a score of 26.13 on technical elements and 22.43 on program components to edge Jenna McCorkell of Great Britain (48.34) for the final spot.

Defending champion Kim Yuna of South Korea topped the short program event with a total segment score of 74.92, followed by Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova with 74.64.

The free skate program will take place Thursday night at 11 p.m., with Gjersem skating fifth.

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Ice dancers glide to center stage at Sochi Games

SOCHI, Russia - The climax to the Olympic ice dance competition will be a showdown between the United States and Canada in what should be the most captivating of seven medal events in Sochi on Monday.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White, seeking to become the first Americans to win the Olympic gold, lead going into the decisive free dance. They must hold off a challenge from reigning champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada.

The first bobsleigh medal of the Games will be decided at the Sanki Sliding Centre. Russian Alexander Zubkov raised home hopes that he could complete his Olympic medal collection by adding gold to the silver and bronze he already has after setting the pace at the halfway stage in the two-man event.

World champion snowboarder Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin takes on a field including medal contenders Markus Schairer of Austria and Norway's Stian Sivertzen in the cross as he aims to give Australia a first gold medal in Sochi.

After China's women failed to turn their dominance of freestyle aerials into Olympic gold, it's the turn of the men with Liu Zhongqing and Qi Guangpu expected to fight it out with Belarussian defending champion Alexei Grishin for the title.

There is a double dose of biathlon after fog forced the postponement of the men's 15-km mass start on Sunday.

Frenchman Martin Fourcade, who has already won two gold medals at these Games, is the favourite for another in a race to be held on Monday morning.

Darya Domracheva of Belarus also hopes to secure a hat-trick of Sochi Olympic titles. She starts the women's 12.5-km mass start as the hot favourite, while Norway's Tora Berger aims to add to her pursuit silver.

Unlike the last two Olympics, where Austria easily won the team ski jumping event, the competition looks like a tightly contested affair. Germany, Japan, Norway and Slovenia all pose a serious challenge and could leave the Austrians empty-handed. (Editing by Rex Gowar)

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Pinay skater to perform at Olympics closing ceremony

MANILA, Philippines – A 13-year-old figure skater from Quezon City was invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Audrey Alcaraz, a student of Saint Pedro Poveda College and a friend of Filipino Olympian Michael Martinez, will be participating at the closing ceremony which takes place on February 23.

Alcaraz was invited by South Korea, which will be taking the hosting duties for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

“It’s kind of nerve-racking but actually an honor because not a lot of people get to go through this and get to experience things like this especially at my age” she said in an interview with Tempo’s Brian Yalung.

Alcaraz believes she was invited because she attended a skating camp in Korea in 2013.

Her expenses will be shouldered by the South Korean government, according to the report.

Alcaraz said she was happy with Martinez’s performance. She hopes to follow the footsteps of her friend, who became the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to compete in the Winter Olympics.

“Only time will tell but hopefully” she said.

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US men edge Russians in ice hockey thriller

SOCHI, Russia - The United States edged out host nation Russia in a thrilling men's ice hockey game at the Winter Olympics on Saturday, but a last-minute switch of high-tech suits failed to propel American speed skaters to their first medal of the Sochi Games.

Ice hockey mania gripped the Sochi Games on another warm, sunny day on the Black Sea coast, as two of the sport's heavyweights met in a match redolent of rivalries past.

Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the game, and later visited compatriot and skicross racer Maria Komissarova, who underwent 6-1/2 hours of surgery after breaking her back in a training crash in the mountains.

The president spoke to the 23-year-old, who is conscious, after her operation, and telephoned her father to reassure him that she was getting the best care possible.

Komissarova suffered the injury during training at the PSX Olympic skicross venue at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. She was taken to Krasnaya Polyana Hospital Number 8, specially built for the Olympics, where doctors decided to operate.

"During one of her training runs, Maria injured her spine," team head of press Mikhail Verzhba said. "It is a serious injury."

At the futuristic Bolshoy Ice Dome back in Sochi, the hosts lost 3-2 after T.J. Oshie scored in the eighth round of the shootout to end an electrifying clash.

Evoking memories of the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics 'Miracle on Ice', when a group of American college players upset the then Soviet Union's 'Big Red Machine', the game delivered on everything it had promised.

There was breathtaking pace, skill, intensity, great goaltending, some controversy and plenty of edge-of-your seat drama. Everything, in fact, except a win for the hosts.

Putin, whose legacy will rest in part on the Feb. 7-23 Games going smoothly, was philosophical in defeat.

"Sport is sport," he said during a meeting with Afghan war veterans. "I think the team put in a very decent performance. We'll see. There are key games ahead. We wish them success."

But there was double joy for the host nation after Viktor Ahn led Russia to a one-two in the men's 1,000 metres short track speed skating, and "Russian Rocket" Alexander Tretiakov sealed Russia's first Olympic gold in skeleton.

CONTRASTING FORTUNES

The excitement on the eighth day of competition in Sochi typified the atmosphere that has taken hold, banishing memories of a buildup to the Games overshadowed by threats of Islamist militant attacks and concerns over Russia's human rights record.

U.S. President Barack Obama decided not to come to Sochi and, following criticism of Putin's stance on gay rights, sent a delegation including gay officials.

There have been accusations of widespread corruption and profligacy surrounding the Olympics, which some estimates say cost $51 billion, making them the most expensive ever held.

Putin has dismissed those charges, and some Russian officials put the price tag much lower.

Despite frustration at what Putin recently called the West's Cold War mentality towards Russia, he has appeared at ease as he embarked on rounds of "wine diplomacy" in Sochi that included sharing a glass, and a chat, with U.S. team officials.

"I want to thank the fans who create this unique atmosphere of friendship and cooperation," he said on Saturday.

SUITS OR SKATERS?

There were no such happy thoughts for the U.S. speed skating team, normally a powerhouse in the sport but yet to win a single medal in Sochi as the Games hit halfway.

Puzzled by their poor performance, the Americans decided to ditch their high-tech outfits and went back to skinsuits for Saturday's men's 1,500 metre race. But the switch, confirmed minutes before the contest began, had little noticeable effect.

Four U.S. athletes were in contention; Brian Hansen finished seventh, Shani Davis 11th, Joey Mantia 22nd and Jonathan Kuck 37th.

Davis, a double Olympic champion who came into the Games among the favourites to add to his medal haul, was devastated.

Asked about the mood in the team after the latest disappointment, he replied: "We have no medals, man, we have none. And the way things are looking we might not get any, and it's sad because we've had a lot of potential, a lot of talent, a lot of things going for us and looking good going forward.

"But it's terrible, terrible, man. Big, big disappointment."

Zbigniew Brodka of Poland won the race by just three thousandths of a second.

ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE

In the rough-and-tumble world of short track speed skating, China's Zhou Yang successfully defended her 1,500 metres title, while Ahn kissed the ice and paraded the Russian flag after his victory in one of the premier events in short track.

Competing under his original name Ahn Hyun-soo, he won three gold medals for South Korea at the 2006 Olympics in Turin before a bitter fall-out with officials in his country of birth.

Earlier this week, South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered a government ministry to investigate how one of the country's top athletes had ended up competing for a rival.

"I was touched by the loud applause the Russian spectators gave me ... today's result proves that my decision was right," Ahn said. "That's why today is so meaningful."

Up in the mountains, Anna Fenninger maintained Austria's grip on the women's Alpine skiing super-G title, in a race where just finishing proved a big challenge for the early starters.

Snow conditions have been a major talking point throughout the Games, with clear skies and temperatures of around 14 degrees Celsius in the mountains making the surface soft and slushy.

In and around the impressive Olympic village in Sochi, people wandered around in T-shirts and swam in the sea, in a surreal atmosphere for a Winter Games.

Sweden provided the latest Olympic upset when they won gold in the women's cross-country 4x5km relay, while hot favourites Norway could only manage fifth. Charlotte Kalla produced an astonishing comeback leg to earn the win.

In Saturday's final event, held under floodlights, Poland's Kamil Stoch won the men's large hill ski jumpin, becoming only the third man to capture both individual hills titles at the same Games. (Additional reporting by Reuters Winter Olympic team in Sochi and Rosa Khutor)

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Figure skater Michael Martinez finishes 19th in Sochi

Filipino Olympian skater Michael Martinez finished at 19th place out of 24 skaters at the men's Figure Skating event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Martinez, who made Olympic history for the Philippines and Southeast Asia by competing in Sochi, garnered a total score of 184.25 points.

Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu won the gold medal, while Patrick Chan of Canada received the silver, and Kazakhstan's Denis Ten got the bronze.

Martinez, who performed to the tune of Ernesto Lecuona's Malaguena, was the third performer among the 24 skaters in the free program event. He received a score of 119.44 points during Friday's routine.

The 17-year-old looked more daring doing triple axels, triple double toes, double flip, and lot more presentation towards the judges' side. However, he fell at one point and landed on his right hand after executing a triple loop.

"For me, he's getting stronger and maybe running away a little bit but he's giving it everything that he's got and he's fighting right to the finish," said a female event commentator.

Martinez ended his routine with a Biellmann Spin, an unusual and difficult maneuver for male figure skaters. "Unusual for men, the Biellmann spin, performance to be proud of,” she said.

"A lot to be proud of, he really did the program well he had a good flow across the ice, the speed was there," said the male commentator.

During the short program on Thursday, Martinez scored 64.81 points. This enabled him to march to the free program, the medal round of the men’s figure skating event.

The teenager is the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to qualify in the Winter Olympics men’s figure skating.

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Filipino Olympic skater Martinez gets global attention

MANILA – Filipino skater Michael Martinez, whose inspiring story has gained widespread attention, is seeking to make a respectable finish in the men’s figure skating medal round in the Winter Olympics on Friday.

Maria Calaguas, member of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) delegation to Sochi, said they hope Martinez gets to rank at least 10th or 12th in the free program.

“If he can get a good score… [then] at least he can make it to the 10th,” said Calaguas. “If even higher, then that would be better of course.”

Martinez, country’s lone representative to Sochi, Russia, made history after becoming the first Southeast Asian ever to qualify in the finals of the Winter Olympics men’s figure skating.

He garnered a component score of 31.50 and technical score of 33.31 for a total of 64.81 points in the short program, which is good enough to place him among the top 24 competitors.

Sports commentators described Martinez as “history in the making.”

"I think he has a big future because he doesn't train as much in the Philippines, but he actually does still skate at home," said one commentator after watching Martinez perform his routine.

His story has also gained the attention of foreign media.

"His spins were good, the rest of the program nicely skated. Most importantly, he didn’t look like a 17-year-old making his Olympic debut," wrote Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press.

“In 2 minutes and 39 seconds, Martinez showed he belonged.”

Even before he competed, CNN.com came up with a story citing Martinez’s dedication to the sport amid his financial struggles.

"His mother told CNN in an email that the family patched together donations from a local shopping mall ice rink, friends and his skating club. She said the family's life saving has been depleted and that their family's farm in Luzon province had been damaged by typhoons last year," reported CNN's Madison Park.

Outpouring support

Netizens also celebrated after seeing Martinez qualify for the medal round.

“Laban ka bro at enjoy mu lang yan para dka kakabahan..isipin mu na marami kaming nanunuod sa t.v na sumusuporta at nagdarasal na magawa mu ang gusto mung gawin mamaya. GO FOR OLYMPIC GOLD,MAKE A OLYMPIC HISTORY BOY,” said Hisashi Mitsui.

“My heart, tears and prayers goes to this boy, I'm so proud of you! God bless you and your family,” said Jael Christia Manangkil-Ramos.

“I was teary eyed seeing ur prrformance... wow.. somehow u have uplifted the Filipino spirit amidst all the issues happening here..Good luck and God Bless u Michael Martinez..Go for the Gold!” said Chiradee Ann Gaddi Fronda.

“Congratulations for a job well done.khit di tau mkkuha ng gold proud p din kmi sau Mr. Martinez .thanks for representing our country the Philippines. Dpt yn ang cnosuportahan gov't ntin ung ngbibigay krangalan s ating bansa at hindi ung ngbibigay ng khihiyan. Mga politicians pkiusap lng po n sna throw your support to our athletes, tgumpay nila tgumpay nyo din. We are 1.We are all Filipino. Peace...,” said Jayson Feria Untalan.

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Japanese skater sets world record as Plushenko exits

SOCHI, Russia - It was meant to be the night when Yuzuru Hanyu left the world in awe with his dynamic footwork but Yevgeny Plushenko rendered everyone speechless by abruptly pulling out of the Sochi Olympics at the eleventh hour.

In a men's competition full of high drama, American Jeremy Abbott's heroic effort to get back on his feet after he slammed into the barriers also created a buzz but it was nothing compared to the stir created by Plushenko's exit.

"This men's event was insane from Plushenko to Jeremy. It just was never ending," 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski told Reuters.

Plushenko was clutching the base of his spine throughout his warm-up and, when they announced his name as the next performer, instead of taking his position for the start of his routine, he skated up to the judges.

After an exchange with officials, a male voice announced in Russian over the Iceberg Skating Palace's public address system: "Yevgeny Plushenko cannot participate due to a trauma (injury)".

The announcement left more than 10,000 fans deflated and ended one of the most talked about careers in figure skating.

"I came out for the warm-up... and in the first triple Axel I stepped out and felt like I had a knife in my back. And then after a second triple Axel... I didn't feel my right leg, it finished me off," a drained Plushenko told reporters as he rubbed his back.

"I took four pills (painkillers) and it didn't help. I think it was God saying, 'Yevgeny enough, is enough."

The 31-year-old's participation in the men's event had been in the balance after he said his back had started to play up during his free skate in the team competition on Sunday.

Although he managed to finish off that routine, his performance was a million miles from what the world had come to expect of the Russian showman.

At the end of that underwhelming display Plushenko said he would need "the doctors to implant some stuff into my back" so that he could recover in time to pull off two final performances in front of his home fans.

Unfortunately for the spectators who had flocked into the arena to cheer on their favourite son, time and luck simply ran out for Plushenko.

"There was no miracle, unfortunately," said the four-time Olympian who won his second gold on Sunday in the team event.

"I don't want to end up an invalid - I want to remain a competent boy who can walk normally. Nobody is insured against this kind of thing."

NO TRAGEDY

His coach Alexei Mishin added: "This is not a tragedy what happened with Zhenya. During the (last) 20 years, he has had good success, mostly as a winner. Don't criticise him too much."

But no one could criticise the way Hanyu defied his tender 19 years to put a marker down for the competition.

He punched the air when he nailed his opening quad-toeloop to the electric guitar strains of 'Parisian Walkways', dazzled during his change-foot-sit spin, was foot perfect in his triple Axel and had his coach Brian Orser leaping for joy as soon as he landed his triple-Lutz triple-toeloop combination.

That left him with a world record score of 101.45 for the short programme and he is 4-1/2 minutes away from becoming the first Japanese skater to win the men's Olympic title.

Triple world champion Patrick Chan arrived in Sochi as the favourite to become the first Canadian man to claim the gold but appears to be spooked by the expectations placed on his slender shoulders.

He stumbled out of his triple Axel landing - a jump that has long been his nemesis - and trailed Hanyu by almost four points with a score of 97.52.

Spain's Javier Fernandez, the twice European champion, trailed a distant third (86.98) after two rough landings.

But no landing was as brutal and painful as the one Abbott suffered. He soared into the air for his opening quadruple toeloop but caught the front edge of his blade on the ice as he touched down and rammed straight into the padded barrier.

Clutching his stomach and grimacing, he lay on the ice as the music to his 'Lillies of the Valley' programme played on.

But just when everyone thought there would be another pull out moments after Plushenko's departure, the American got back on his feet and launched straight into a triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination drawing wild applause for his heroics.

"In my mind, I was thinking, 'Do I go to the referee? Do I keep going? Am I done?'" Abbot said, pressing a bag of ice to his bruised hip.

"I kept thinking the referees were going to cut the music, but when I got up and heard the crowd cheering. I thought... forget it... I am going to finish this programme."

A score of 72.58 left him 15th and out of the running for a medal but if there was a prize for bravery he would have won that on Thursday.

Plushenko, also appeared to be in pain from the moment he stepped out for his six-minute warm-up, labouring around the rink, repeatedly clutching and pressing his back, and going up to the barriers to talk to Mishin.

After his withdrawal was confirmed, a dejected Plushenko skated to the centre of the rink to bow to all four ends of the arena before waving farewell to a stunned, and somewhat muted, audience that had come to cheer him on.

Having also announced his retirement following the 2006 and 2010 Olympics, Mishin was asked if there were any further comebacks left in Plushenko.

"Maybe in the Paralympic Games!" (Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel, editing by Ossian Shine, Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)

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