Filipino speed skater Julian Macaraeg is set to join athletics powerhouse University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) soon.
Macaraeg announced the development on Instagram Sunday, April 18, posting a set of photos about his admission to UCLA.
"L.A. please treat me well," wrote the 17-year-old Macaraeg on his caption with the hashtag #uclabound and a couple of heart emojis.
The Philippine Skating Union on Facebook also congratulated Macaraeg, the first Filipino speed skater to compete in the Winter Youth Olympics, for joining UCLA, a school known for its athletics program mostly on basketball, football, and track and field.
Macaraeg, who used to play iced hockey in his youth, may maximize his speed skating at UCLA through the help of its athletic training and resources though it is still unknown if he has joined a club yet.
UCLA's winter sports include ice hockey and figure skating.
READ: Macaraeg eyes 2022 Winter Olympic berth
Macaraeg attended the Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School and currently trains under Ukrainian coach Serhiy Lifyrenko in New York's lone speed skating club Flushing Meadows Speed Skating Club.
In early March, the New York-based speed skater competed in the 2021 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands, becoming the lone Filipino and one of the two contenders from tropical countries in the field alongside India’s Akash Aradhya. (Carlo Anolin) ###