With the pace of the Beijing Winter Olympics approaching, athletes from all over the world are making their final efforts to qualify for the Olympics.

Compared with some athletes from big ice and snow countries, some athletes seem to be very lonely during the Winter Olympics journey.

　　The tropics and ice and snow seem to be a contrast between the world, but there will always be athletes trying to break the barriers, break through the shackles of conditions, and create a new history.

Although he comes from a country that never snows, being able to stand on the stage of the Winter Olympics is already his lifelong dream.

Screenshot of Mackaleg social media.

　　In the opening match of this season's short track speed skating World Cup-Beijing Station, a young athlete appeared a little alone on the huge ice.

　　Julian Makaleg, 18, is the only player to represent the Philippines.

In the men's 500m, 1000m and 1500m competitions, he failed to enter the finals.

　　Among the masters, Makkaleg's level is obviously not competitive.

But he shoulders the important task of competing for the Philippines' qualifications for short track speed skating in the Winter Olympics.

Screenshot of the ISU official website.

　　At first, when Makkalege went out to compete, players from other countries would also be surprised: "There is a Filipino athlete here. The Philippines doesn't even have ice."

　　As an archipelago in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is hot and humid throughout the year.

Obviously, there is no basis for the development of winter sports in this country, and Makkalegge is almost unique here.

If he can successfully qualify for the competition, he will become the first Filipino athlete to participate in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics.

　　However, Makkaleg did not experience the trouble of "no ice" when he was a child.

His parents went to the United States to earn a living in order to get more job opportunities in the 1990s.

　　When he was three or four years old, his mother would take Makkaleg to the ice rink to play.

He mastered skating skills while playing with children, and also began to learn ice hockey.

Screenshot of Mackaleg social media.

　　In 2010, the 7-year-old Makkalege watched on TV the American short-track speed skating star Apollo-Anton-Ono won the silver medal in the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

He also had the idea of ​​practicing short track speed skating.

After that, he joined a short track speed skating club in New York and began to continuously hone his skills.

　　After more than ten years of hard training, Makkaleg has only one goal-to participate in the Winter Olympics.

But without a strong logistics support team, the difficulties Makkaleg is facing can be imagined.

　　Short track speed skating is an expensive sport.

When he first started participating in the competition, Makkaleg could not afford to hire a personal coach, and could only get some guidance from the coaches of other athletes.

　　And athletes from big ice and snow countries not only have individual coaches, but also video analysis and medical teams.

Compared with those who form a group to participate in the competition, Makkalege's strongest backing is his parents.

　　In order to participate in the World Cup, Makkaleg started a fundraising campaign last year to cover the cost of long-distance travel.

In every game, Makkaleg's father or mother will accompany him.

When I came to Beijing this time, my father specially asked for two weeks of leave: "I can't take too long leave because we still have to make a living."

　　After participating in the first two races of the World Cup, Makkaleg's father will go back to work.

His mother will continue to accompany him to complete the remaining races.

Screenshot of Mackaleg social media.

　　In addition to the tight budget, the training venues in Makkalege are not guaranteed.

　　The ice skating rink in my hometown was closed from March to November last year.

In order not to delay the game this season, he asked his coach at the club, who is also the coach of the American short track speed skating team, to train with the American team.

Last summer, Makaleg has been preparing for this season in Salt Lake City.

　　To qualify for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Makkalegg still has a long way to go.

　　In the four World Cup sub-stations before the Winter Olympics, the best three results will be included in the total points.

The top 32 of the 500m and 1000m were qualified, and the top 36 for the 1500m.

　　In the Nagoya World Cup that just ended, the three events that Makkaleg participated in still missed the finals.

　　At present, Markalege is not ranked high in the three projects.

If he wants to leave his name in the history of the Winter Olympics in the Philippines, he undoubtedly needs to make more efforts.

Fortunately, he is still very young, and he still has the opportunity to chase his dreams.

　　For this Filipino guy, it is not only a great honor to represent his country in the Winter Olympics, he also wants to tell more people: "Even if you come from a tropical country without ice, you can also engage in winter sports. "(Reporter Xing Rui)