For Michael Martinez, achieving success is more than just about talent

One can easily be captivated once Michael Martinez steps on ice.

The grace of his movements and his athletic ability earned him a spot in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, a rare feat for a tropical country like the Philippines.

While one may think that Martinez was just born with this kind of talent to achieve the success he had, he admitted that he just pushed himself to claim what he wanted.

"I don't think you need to have talent because I don't think I have talent," Martinez said in an interview with Dr. Anna Tuazon of "Share Ko Lang."

"I think I just push myself, I just have that I guess my way of... I just love pushing myself, working hard, and telling myself, "You just have to do this because you already started. Finish it all the way and the reward's gonna be great at the end." That's what I've been always telling myself even when I was young. So yeah, you just have to keep working hard," he added.

Martinez also shared that skating, which he started doing for leisure at eight years old, helped him become better as he grew older since he was a sickly kid.

From skating for fun, Michael said that he just started to love the sport two or three years after, during the time when he started joining competitions.

"I guess I was able to balance right away that time and I guess they really saw something and I'm really happy with that. It made me who I am," he added.

Michael is eyeing another Olympic stint as he is currently training for the 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy, a qualifying tournament for the 2022 Beijing Games.

Prior to his return, Michael took a break from the sport for almost two years. —Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA News