Julian still a major figure

JULIAN Yee underlined his status as Southeast Asia’s best when he won the Sea Games figure skating gold yesterday.

The Malaysian beat long-time Filipino rival, Michael Christian Martinez at the Malaysia National Ice Skating Stadium at Empire City in Damansara Perdana.

“I feel great. Our rivalry is friendly and off the ice, we’re all friends. If I lose some day, I accept it,” he said.

Julian, a two-time World Championship finalist and ranked No 1 in Southeast Asia, beat Olympian Martinez after recording 132.40 points in his free skate event for a total of 205.43, 33.80 points ahead of Martinez.

However, Julian was just short of his personal best of 202 scored at the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo back in February.

The 20-year-old is set on qualifying for the Winter Olympics as he will head to Germany for the Nebelhorn Trophy where six spots are up for grabs.

Malaysia also saw another podium finish when Chew Kai Xiang surprised the capacity crowd at Empire City in finishing third in the men’s free skating.

“I was really surprised when I found out that I was third. I feel very proud and honoured really,” he said.

In the women’s category, Aina Sorfina Mohd Aminudin took a spill during her performance to finish ninth with a total score of 51.93 points over two days.

Malaysia’s best result in the women’s category was through Aneeta Lingam who finished fifth. Farah Azharie