Two-time Winter Olympian Michael Christian Martinez is coming out of retirement. He announced on Facebook that he will compete at the 2026 Philippine National Figure Skating Championships this November, the same month he turns 30, and hopes to return to international competition in 2027.
“I had many options for my 30th birthday. Somehow, I chose Philippine Nationals,” he wrote. “Anyway… I’m competing again. Good luck knees.”
Martinez admitted he never expected to make this announcement again. For years, when people asked if he would come back, his answer was “probably not.” But the question kept coming, and he started to wonder, why not? He said he agreed only after “a lot of convincing (and by a lot, I really mean A LOT).”
This time, he is keeping expectations low. He acknowledged he is past a figure skater’s typical prime and that his body, especially his back, feels it. He said he isn’t trying to recreate his Olympic days and just wants to enjoy competing again, with no unnecessary pressure. He also hinted at “a few personal goals” he hasn’t revealed yet.
The announcement reverses a decision made public in November 2024. At that time, Philippine Skating Union president Nikki Cheng said Martinez had retired as an athlete to coach the next generation, and he said it was the younger skaters’ turn. Since then he has coached young skaters at SM Megamall and Mall of Asia, and in February 2025 he performed a solo skate for Thailand’s Queen Suthida in Chiang Mai.
His name returned to public conversation twice this year. During the Milan Cortina Olympics in February, Filipino outlets ran “where is he now” stories. In July, Alex Eala’s Wimbledon run led many Filipinos online to call his career “sayang,” a talent that lacked support. Around that time, he said he still wanted to compete but found it hard to balance with coaching.
Martinez made history at Sochi 2014 as the Philippines’ flag bearer and Southeast Asia’s first Olympic figure skater. He finished 19th at 17 years old, then competed again at PyeongChang 2018. His last comeback attempt, in 2021, was cut short by injuries and funding struggles.
“I honestly don’t know how far this comeback will go, and maybe that’s what makes it exciting,” he wrote. “One competition at a time.”
Twelve years after a 17-year-old from a mall rink in Muntinlupa carried the Philippine flag into Sochi, Michael Martinez is starting over. He has no Olympic spotlight this time and no promises of medals, just a skater who has spent years coaching others and now wants to find out what he still has. Whether this comeback ends at Nationals or leads to the “personal goals” he is keeping to himself, he has already shown that some stories don’t end when we expect them to. For a country still learning to dream on ice, seeing its first Winter Olympic figure skater lace up again may be reason enough to watch this November.
