Michael Martinez confident about qualifying for 2018 Winter Olympics

Michael Martinez has returned to Manila after a succesful run at the World Figure Skating Championships at Helsinki, Finland.

The Filipino figure skater impressed with his jumps, garnering a total score of 196.79 in the men's single category with individual scores of 69.32 in the short program and 127.37 in free skating.

He advanced to the men's funals and skated to "Nella Fantasia" and finished in the Top 24.

Martinez will be flying to Oberstdorf, Germany for the Nebelhorn Trophy in September.

His performance there will determine if he will compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics, to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. To qualify, Martinez needs to finish in the Top 6.

"I'm confident that it will be easy for me. I'm pretty sure I'm ready," Martinez said, adding that he would debut a "totally new routine" in Germany.

Martinez credited his new skating boots for the improvement in his performance.

He explained during a press conference on Thursday that his new "Piano" boots are stiffer and it's helping him land his quad jumps better.

He revealed that, prior to changing his gear, he would suffer injuries from bad landings and this would lead missing one or few days of practice.

Martinez will be training in Canada and Russia and competing in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala, Lumpur in August before heading to German for the Nebelhorn Trophy. —JST, GMA News