TWO-TIME Olympic medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani of the United States brought smiles to almost a hundred enthusiasts and experienced local figure skaters, who came to see them.
The siblings felt the Filipinos’ enthusiasm and willingness to learn when the American skaters held a clinic on Tuesday morning at the SM Mall of Asia Ice Skating Rink in Pasay City.
Student skater Joshua Odulio was beaming with excitement, along with his coach, Tita Au, as he joined veteran figure skaters Skye Chua and Sofia Guidote in taking in tips from the Shibutanis.
Odulio, Chua and Guidote were in awe as the siblings swirled around the rink, gliding smoothly and giving out instructions on how to perform their routines.
Also around were retired figure-skating champion-turned coach Michael Martinez and his three female students as they figured out the lessons shared by the Shibutanis, fondly known as the “Shibshibs” during their prime.
“We’re happy to come and visit, and work with the all the skaters here. We see so many smiles as we introduced some ice dances,” said the 30-year-old Maia.
Maia and the 33-year-old Alex retired after the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, where they performed both their short and free dance routines in the team figure skating event to help Team USA bag the bronze medal.
“We have been skating for over 20 years. And it’s been such an amazing journey for us. We learned a lot,” said Alex.
The Shibutanis’ visit was made possible through the US Embassy. They have served as sports envoys for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 2017.
Currently, Maia is on the Advisory Council for Asia Society’s AWE initiative and was named the Winter Olympic Athlete Representative of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation NextGen Program in 2023.
Meanwhile, Alex was selected to join the LA28 Athletes’ Commission in 2021 and is a professional fine arts and portrait photographer.