When Olympian figure skater Michael Martinez missed the chance to qualify for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, he did not use his skates for almost four months.
After falling a spot short in the 2017 Nebelhorn Trophy held in Germany last September, Martinez decided to turn his focus on bodybuilding.
"After the Nebelhorn Trophy, I switched immediately to bodybuilding. It's one of my favorites actually. I was bulking up, working out every single day for 2-3 hours. I gained at least from 145 pounds to 165 to almost 170 pounds," he narrated in a homecoming celebration held for him at the SM Mall of Asia on Thursday morning.
The 21-year-old athlete took his mind off ice skating, until he got a call in late January that an Olympic slot opened up. The Swedish Olympic Committee pulled out its skater Alexander Marojov, paving the way for Martinez to participate in his second Winter Games.
"When I heard I was going to compete for the Olympics, I switched right away. I switched my diet, I had to lose my muscles, I had to lose my weight, everything. It's a lot different," he shared. "It was difficult at first to get used to muscles for figure skating, but at the same time, it helped me on my performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics."
The late notice left Martinez with very little time to prepare mentally and physically. On top of losing weight and sticking to a strict diet, he had to get back on the ice, practice his jumps, and polish his routine - all in a span of two and a half weeks. Most skaters need two to three months to get ready for a competition, but Martinez was forced to do the best he can given the circumstances.
"This Olympics is a lot different. The first Olympics, I was able to prepare for it. I was able to qualify for the final round because I know I was able to prepare for it," he said. "For the 2018 Winter Olympics it only took me two and a half weeks to prepare but I was able to do it. It was a huge challenge for me but I'm really proud of it."
Martinez failed to advance to the free skate round in Pyeonchang after finishing 28th in the short program. He garnered a score of 55.56, way below his personal best of 74.45. What's remarkable, however, was he still landed his jumps and earned no deductions throughout his clean performance.
"I was really, really happy and my coaches were very proud of me. I skated my very best even with a short time (to prepare). It's very impossible for any skater to be able to do that, but I was able to do it and deliver the best performance. To me, whatever the score is, I know I did my best and I loved it," the young skater proudly said.
It's been a long journey for the two-time Olympian, who dreamt of bringing pride and honor to the country ever since he was a little kid.
"When I was starting figure skating, I really eyed for the Olympics. That's my dream. And just to be able to make it twice... definitely the experience that I had helped me a lot [to become] who I am right now," he said.
As the first Southeast Asian figure skater to make it to the Winter Games, Martinez has been an inspiration for budding ice athletes who also aims to represent the flag in international tournaments.
"What I do is go out there and show my best. For me, I never thought I was able to inspire and touch their lives but I was able to and I'm very, very thankful for that," he expressed. "My advice (to young athletes) is don't be afraid to take the first step. There are a lot of figure skaters now and I get to see that there's a huge potential out there to be able to make it to a couple of Olympics."
What's next for him after the Pyeongchang Games? Martinez said he wants to rest and take some time off before thinking of future competitions.
"I just want to reflect on everything, just go to the beach, relax and reset my mind, so that I won't be burnt out," he shared. "(The Southeast Asian Games) is on my mind but definitely I want to take my break first and then take it from there."