I am so eager to see the outcome of the homecoming of our lone figure skater representative in the Sochi Olympics. I mean from nothing to something..... It was really crazy watching the videos of his warm homecoming in Manila online. Michael Christian Martinez was indeed now famous and had proved to himself that he can do it by himself and by perseverance.
Before, this scrawny 5'8" figure skater, a good looking one too, had struggled to make ends meet in order to support his past time which is competitive figure skating. From his competitions abroad he rarely had gotten any heroes welcome in the past because it seems that he was neglected to be supported by the government. With his' and his mom's perseverance to continue their inspiring struggling journey at last it was paid off because of their untiring Olympic quest. With his presence in the recently concluded Olympics held in Sochi, Russia, he had established himself as the first pure bred Filipino figure skater and the first from a Southeast Asian nation to join the prestigious stage of Olympic figure skating.
His charisma, grace, and unique story had captivated not only his own country but the whole world as well. He had indelibly established his own legacy and journey at a young age of 17-years-old and had clearly marked his name in the annals of olympic history. It was a very touching story bought and meticulously tackled by the hungry media, that's why he was the media's darling during the meet-and-greet at the Olympic venues. I had goosebumps everytime I saw him on the television.
At a young age of eight, he had convinced his mom to try skating at an olympic size rink at a shopping mall in Mnaila and seemed to like the sports despite of his nagging chronic asthma. He was a very determined kid, struggled to study the ins-and-outs of figure skating, and had competed in the world stage until he finally got the ticket to qualify for an entry to compete in the Sochi Olympics last year in Germany during the Nebelhorn Figure Skating Cup. It was his first try and he got it despite of low financial support and limited resources which had prompted his mom to mortgage their only house just to buy a ticket for them to go to Russia and to pay for a revered coach to train him months before the competition.
It was a very touching story that somebody can ponder but people all over the world had greatly sympathized for his determination and perseverance. Despite incurring many injuries in the past before the olympics he still pursued his dreams and it did not made him decide to back out. He delivered his short program during the first day of the competition with grace and finisse despite of a minor slip, yet it was a superb performance which ranked him 19th earning him a spot to continue for the medal round and perform his captivating and emotional pulsating free skate program. What a wonderful talent indeed!
Lacking with sleep and was eventually fatigued during the second day due to the random doping test that was done during the wee hours after the short program he skated very tired and sore the following day for his beautiful free skate program and had delivered well and had received excellent reviews for his skating from various worldwide commentators hailing from England, Canada, United States, Russia, Australia, France, and Italy. They dubbed him as the next sensation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Despite of his shocking debut and placing 19th overall after the event the young olympian went home to his country, the Philippines worthy as a hero. He was met with a grandiose heroes welcome as well as met by his newly acquired adoring fans with open arms and glee, crowding the streets of Manila from the airport to the mall where he first learned to skate, and then barage him him questions during the meet-and-greet event. He was popular all of a sudden. Despite of his sudden popularity our young olympian had remained grounded and charming to greet his fans. He was even more confident in answering their quetsions upfront compared to his reserved and stingy responses before.
He had received a lot of accolades and gifts from the mall owner and the Philippine Skating Union giving him a promise of a lot of donations to fund for his future trainings. His ticket to the olympics had earned him a well-deserved recognition and now that help was just pouring in like rain this young olympians financial worries will be filled well now. How lucky is this guy..... with his perseverance, talent, and charisma people started to love him and support him in many ways, even prayed for his success in the ice rink. He was very grateful for everything and had promised to double his effort so that he can repay them. What a character! No wonder why people loved him so much.
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