Feb. 7, 2022, 9:44 p.m. ET
Feb. 7, 2022, 9:44 p.m. ET
Donovan Carrillo was positively beaming after scoring his personal best in the short program, 79.69 points. Already the first Mexican figure skater to compete in the Olympics in 30 years, he became the first Mexican skater ever to qualify for the long program.
“I didn’t want it to end,” he said afterward. “I wanted to keep skating and living the Olympic dream. For me to qualify also for the free skating is a dream come true.”
Carrillo trains alongside mostly 11- to 14-year-old girls in a shopping mall rink in León, Mexico, that is not Olympic size, and it took a day in Beijing to adjust his program to the larger rink. But Carrillo said that while he has had the opportunity to train in Europe or the United States, he wanted to stay in Mexico. “I think it is better to focus on what you have and exploit that,” he said.
Carrillo skated the first half of his short program to “Black Magic Woman” by Santana, whose lead guitarist, Carlos Santana, was born in Mexico. “It is something that I always try to do to my performance, to involve Mexican culture,” Carrillo said.
His costume, a stunning black and gold number, was designed by the Mexican fashion designer Edgar Lozzano, who does not normally design for figure skating. Carrillo said that Lozzano agreed to design the costume three weeks before the Olympics, and Carrillo received it only one week before he left for Beijing.
“I love it,” Carrillo said. “I think it is very comfy, I love the colors, I love the design, and I think he told me that there is like 17,000 Swarovskis on it, so this is a very special one.”
