Mexico’s Donovan Carrillo talks about the changes that have taken place in the past seven months going into the 2023-24 figure skating season.
Donovan Carrillo: 2023-24 Reboot
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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