Martynov Aims to Skate Clean, Show What He Can Do in Junior World Debut

After struggling with injury in the 2021-22 season, Daniel Martynov is back to 100% and ready for his first ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
 
"My goal this season, after all my injuries, was just to make it to Junior Worlds – to qualify, which I have done," Martynov said. "And now my goal is just to skate clean there."
 
He's also appreciating his successes and advancements this season. Martynov not only makes his World Championship debut internationally but also made his first appearance at the senior level at the 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships just a few weeks ago. Although he missed the triple Axel in his short program, he said he felt better about the long program and was content with the experience overall. 
 
"I was pretty upset with my short program missing out on the first element which I'm pretty confident with, but I was very happy with my performance in the free program because I let the judges see what I'm capable of and that I deserve to be there with the seniors, so I was overall very happy with that."

Sharing the ice with other seniors, some of whom were veterans of the event, was an interesting opportunity for Martynov, who had until then merely tracked their careers. Now, he was competing with these athletes.
 
"It was interesting to be on the ice with the same people that I would always keep track of like three, four years ago like, 'oh, what are these guys doing at this (past) competition?'" he noted. "So that overall feeling was kind of surreal. Like now I'm on the ice with these guys that I was watching a couple of years ago. So overall, it was a really cool feeling."
 
He placed eleventh, a respectable placement for a first-year senior.
 
After the Championships, Martynov was invited to the World Junior Singles Selection Camp in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he joined other promising junior singles skaters in performing short and long programs for evaluation by national and international judges. Although he was tired after the U.S. Championships and only had two practices before he had to go to the vamp, his performances were clearly good enough to earn a placement on the World Junior Team.
 
"When I got there, I just tried to do my best to show them what I already knew I could do," he said. "Overall, it's a great experience being there with all your friends that you compete with, just seeing everybody one more time all together was great."
 
Martynov knows that his technical elements are his greatest strength, but acknowledges that he's always striving to improve on his components.
 
"I'm pretty confident in my technique and in all elements, (but) components are always something you can work on," he said.
 
He's also made the effort to work on his presentation skills.
 
"I would say working with the crowd, getting the crowd to love you, that's probably my weakness," Martynov noted. "And I want to work on that because I know it's very important."
 
He is working on that by choosing more challenging pieces of music for his programs this season. Each provides contrast, showing different sides to Martynov's skating; the short allows him to display his powerful skating style, while the long program challenges him to demonstrate greater artistry.
 
"When it comes to my short program a few years ago, I remember watching Nathan Chen skate and hearing 'Land of All' (by Woodkid). I liked it so much and ever since then, I have wanted to have that music for one of my programs," Martynov explained. "After looking into the words and the meaning behind the words and music, we have made the decision that this season is finally a good fit and I am ready. So my coaches and I decided to use it for my short program.
 
"For the long program, we wanted some music that had yet to be used much and that could show my artistry," he went on.  "After some searching, we found 'Air' by Jan Werner. The program starts with thunder transitioning into slow calm music and building all the way to the ending. To me, it represents how there is always a light at the end of the tunnel."
 
After his injuries and struggles last year, Martynov does seem to be coming into the light. As he prepares to have his best possible World Championship debut in Calgary, Canada, he is focusing on skating his best rather than worrying about results.
 
"I try never to think about placement as I said because usually, my job is just to go out there and do the best I can," he said. "Currently we're deciding on how much risk going to take with the program, if we're going to put a quad into the program or if we're going to keep two axels and stay clean. So no specific goals, once again, just skate clean and showing what I can do."
 
Most of all, he is grateful to have qualified this season.
 
"I'm really happy; after all my injuries its just kind of feels like I'm starting to get repaid a little bit after everything I've been through."
 
Daniel Martynov takes the ice at the World Junior Championships, which take place Feb. 27 - March 5. To stay up to date on Team USA, visit the event's competition central.