Filipino speed skater Macaraeg eyes Olympic debut thanks to crowdfunding support

Olympics.com: With Beijing 2022 less than three months away, how are your qualification efforts for speed skating going?

Julian Macaraeg: I still have to qualify for Beijing. I have to qualify through the four ISU World Cups, so I have to be top 32 in the 500 metres and the 1,000 metres to secure one quota spot for the Philippines. And then I have another option where I have to be in the top 36 in the 1,500 metres.

How do you feel about your chances?

I actually feel pretty good about my chances. I'm really pushing myself and training myself to do the very best that I can do. At last year’s World Championships, I finished in the top 41. So, I think from the training I’ve done this year, I can definitely improve my rank and hopefully I can secure a spot for the Philippines.

You’ve been supporting your qualification efforts with an online crowdfunding campaign – how did that come about? And what has been the response?

One of my family members set up a page and the feedback has been really good. I reached out to a lot of my family and friends and then, through sharing, people and supporters from around the world were able to help me and financially support me when I'm competing in the four World Cups this season. I'm super grateful that they're able to join me and be part of my journey to Beijing. It's been very, very helpful because travelling to these competitions is very expensive. It's hard for my parents because they have to put in a lot of work to help support me, go to these competitions and pay for my training. So, I'm very thankful for the help of all the people who donated to the crowdfunding campaign. And I hope that, with the support that they've given me, I'm able to put it to good use and compete in Beijing.

You already had a taste of the Olympic experience at the Winter YOG Lausanne 2020. How do you look back on your experiences there?

Lausanne was really significant to me because that was the biggest stage that I'd competed on, and I was only 17 years old at the time. It was probably the highlight of my career, alongside competing in the World Championships in March, and so Lausanne was a big leap for me, which gave me more experience that I could take on to future competitions. It was really a step closer for me towards achieving my Olympic dream. Plus meeting all the athletes from around the world and then connecting with them was just a surreal experience. I made so many friends while I was there in Lausanne, and it's something that I would never forget, and I'll cherish it forever.

Were you able to learn a lot from your experiences at the YOG?

In Lausanne, I just had to be a lot more confident and consistent when I'm racing because there was a setback for me in the 1,000m where I didn't fully commit to my racing style. I just sat in the back of the pack and my reaction was too late, so I couldn’t get to the front and advance to the next round. But I learned from that. I now know I just must give everything that I’ve got because there's pretty much nothing to lose. So that's what I'm going for in this Olympic season.

How did it feel to represent the Philippines on an Olympic stage?

I was really honoured to be competing in Lausanne, especially because I come from a tropical country, where winter sports are not a big thing. There are really only one or two ice rinks in the Philippines, so I'm really fortunate enough to be training in America. But I'm still really honoured to be representing my home country and representing my family and making all my family, friends, and supporters proud when I compete on these big stages.

Do you hope to inspire a new generation of skaters in the Philippines?

I'm trying my best right now to make speed skating a popular sport in the Philippines. It's a very new sport because it just debuted three years ago in the Philippines. And with me, if I'm able to compete in Beijing, I hope that it'll spread the word around and attract more skaters to try the new sport. My message to the skaters is that if there’s something that you want to try, go for it because there's nothing wrong with trying new things. There's nothing to lose. If you want to do it, go for it and if you don't want to, you can always try other sports. But my main goal right now is just to advertise and spread the word of winter sports throughout the Philippines.

 Were you inspired by Hidilyn Diaz becoming the Philippines' first ever Olympic champion, when she won weightlifting gold at Tokyo 2020?

Yeah, I was super proud of Hidilyn when she got that gold medal because that's the Philippines' first ever Olympic gold medal. It pushes me during training because she's my role model; she won the gold medal and I want to win a gold medal someday just like her. In practice, I sometimes think about that situation, "Oh, one day, I'm going to be in the Olympics, and I'm hopefully going to get that gold medal.” That just creates a new, broader goal for me and a much stronger mindset for myself.

 What do the Olympic Games mean to you?

The Olympic Games have been my goal since I started speed skating and that's probably the main goal and the final goal for most athletes who are competing professionally. The Olympics means so much to me, and if I'm able to compete in the Olympics and represent the Philippines, I'd be so honoured to do that. Like I said earlier, I'm representing a tropical country and it's the first time the Philippines would be competing in the Winter Olympics for speed skating. I'd like to make that history happen and it's something that I really look forward to.