A CHEER thread for Mexico's Donovan Carrillo

He's so energetic and a true performer. You can't help but cheer for him, especially knowing what hardships he encounters. He trains on a little shopping mall rink where, when a reporter showed up asking about him, not even the staff knew who he was. He skates with people scooting around with those metal supporters (whatever they're called). Based on one of the news clips, I think the costume Donovan wore for the short program was made by a couple of local skating moms. I look forward to seeing Donovan skate again soon!
 
www.nytimes.com

For Donovan Carrillo, the first Mexican skater in the long program, it all started with a girl named Lisa. (Published 2022)

And he’s already looking forward to the next step in his journey.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Carrillo’s popularity has grown immensely, and he has received messages from all over Mexico and the world on social media. One of them was from somebody he long ago fell out of touch with: Lisa, the girl whose presence at the skating rink helped get a young Donovan into the sport.
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Awwwwww.
 
www.popsugar.com

A Mother's Touching Tribute to Mexican Figure Skater Donovan Carrillo

Carrillo is the first Mexican figure skater to qualify for the free skate segment in Olympic history.
www.popsugar.com www.popsugar.com

Moved by the 22-year-old skater's dedication and hard work, visual journalist and art director for the LA Times, Susana Sanchez, aka The Designing Chica, paid tribute to Carrillo with a drawing that sparked a powerful conversation with her son about the importance of celebrating Latinx success.

"My son asked me why was I [was] drawing Mexico's ice skater Donovan Carrillo if he didn't medal," Sanchez captioned an Istagram post on Feb. 10, after Carrillo placed twenty second overall in men's single skating. "A great question and here's what I told my son: 'Mijo, when you see a Latino making their dreams come true, through hard work and dedication, you celebrate them! You cheer them on. You feel a sense of pride! You feel proud to see someone who didn't have the means to become an Olympian but he did it. One day we will see more Latino skater Olympians because they saw Donovan do it!'"
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Donovan is still in Beijing along with Litvintsev...I assume because they are flag bearers for the closing ceremony? How nice that he really gets the full Oly experience, even if these Olympics are disastrous in many ways. Too bad they could not put him in the gala...
 
Bumping up Donovan's thread 10+ months later with his photo today from a hospital bed: https://www.instagram.com/p/CmfMt_0rpb8/
Machine translation:
Friends, I share that my (right) ankle surgery went very well. Been putting it off for a while but it was time to look after my health so I can move forward. Thanks to the medical team of @conadeoficial and to the doctors Raúl Carrillo and Leticia Flores for their attention and management. Thank you Dr Oscar Mendoza, for a successful surgery. See you very soon 🏽 pronto️
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35-minute interview uploaded by Golden Skate today (Aug. 30, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNFiDbM_fZ0

Mexico’s Donovan Carrillo has had a major reboot in the past seven months coming into the 2023-24 figure skating season. This included surgery on his ankle as well a coaching and training location change.

The four-time National Champion finally went under the knife in December 2023 to repair an ankle injury that has plagued and him since 2018. In this interview he explains why he decided to get the surgery done despite being afraid of it. He talks about his long and difficult way back to the sport for several months, but how it allowed for him to spend time with his loved ones.

In July 2023, he relocated to the Thornhill Figure Skating Club in Toronto, Can., to begin training under Jonathan Hunter Mills and Myke Gillman. The skater explains what he values about his new coaching team and how he feels refreshed in this new training environment.

Carrillo, who has earned the highest placement by any Mexican skaters at World Championships, also became the first skater to represent Mexico at the Olympic Games in 2022. While he knows the 2026 Olympics in Milan is right around the corner, he first hopes to improve steadily and become competitive with the world’s best skaters.

The skater, who has gained fame in his country, recently competed at 2023 Cranberry Cup International. His next competition will be in two weeks at the Challenger Series event — Autumn Classic International — in Montreal, QC, Canada. His goal at this event is to achieve the technical minimum score for the 2024 World Championships in Montreal later in March.

Carrillo also shares some info about his two new programs, both choreographed by Benoit Benoît Richaud. The short program is to "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake and "4 Minutes" by Madonna. His free skate is to set to a Mexican-themed piece with three songs: "Bésame Mucho" and "Historia de un Amor" by Pedro Infante and "Cuba" by Robert Abigail & DJ Rebel ft. The Gibson Brothers. He explains how he found the music and why he loves both of his new programs.
 
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Donovan's post-competition message with 9 photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyb7rTCo4cw/
Machine translated excerpt:
After a short journey and too many mixed emotions the competition ends in 2nd place with a great taste in the mouth. If someone had told me I would race on borrowed skates and competition suits I would have been hard to believe. First of all, I'd like to thank @oliver_praetorius for lending me their skates because without their support and trust I wouldn't even be able to compete. It takes a big heart to do what he did and it’s something not just anyone would have done. Thank you so much, Oliver!
Thank you @jonathanhuntermills for encouraging me to see the bright side and motivating me to try, @julietajuanz for helping me land in this situation and telling me what I needed to hear to fight for it all.
Huge thanks to the organizing committee for all their attention and help in finding a competition suit.
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Oliver Praetorius' reply in the comments (Donovan's pic with him is #5):
❤️Happy to help. Congratulations on your medal! Job well done🤩
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Donovan looks almost certain to qualify to the FS with I believe his personal best SP score. His infectious personality is just so apparent in his performances, and I continue to enjoy watching him far more than many of the more technically accomplished skaters... But he is making good progress in tech too with his new training situation.
 
What a great competition for Donovan! He demolished his PB and just looked so pleased with his performance and results. I really think his basics have improved so much with the new coaching team, and it gives him more stability for his elements. I hope his charm and joyful personality on and off the ice never change though.
 
Tracing the path – Donovan Carillo

Tracing the path - Donovan Carrillo (MEX) - International Skating Union

Embark on the inspiring journey of Donovan Carrillo (MEX) as he recounts his formative years in Figure Skating, triumphing against all odds. Hailing from Mexico, Donovan faced numerous challenges and setbacks, but his unwavering determination propelled him forward.
www.isu.org www.isu.org
 
Olympics.com feature - Donovan Carrillo on a second Olympic berth, training in Canada, and the power of belief: "Dreams are the roots of goals" - article by Nick McCarvel & Lorena Encabo (Dec. 13, 2024): https://olympics.com/en/news/mexico...aining-canada-power-belief-dreams-roots-goals

The charismatic Mexican figure skater joined the Olympics.com Spanish-language podcast this week (11 December). He wants to build "the strongest programs of my career" for the 2026 Games. - link to watch his 3-minute interview in Spanish with English subtitles: https://olympics.com/en/video/donovan-carrillo-dreams-are-the-roots-of-the-goals
 
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