Donovan Daniel Carrillo Suazo (born 17 November 1999) is a Mexican

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

. He is the 2023

NRW Trophy The NRW Trophy (also known as the NRW Summer Trophy or the NRW Autumn Trophy) is an annual international figure skating competition organized by the Skating Union of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 2007, it has been sanctioned by the Deutsche Eisla ...

silver medalist, 2023

Tayside Trophy The Tayside Trophy is an annual international figure skating competition which is generally held in the autumn in Dundee, Scotland. It is hosted by British Ice Skating. Medals may be awarded in men's singles, women's singles, and pair skating ...

silver medalist, 2019

Philadelphia International Philadelphia International Records was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Gamble and Huff, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, along with their longtime collaborator ...

silver medalist, and a seven-time Mexican national champion (2017–2019, 2020–2024). He has competed in the final segment at six ISU Championships – three

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

(2018, 2021, 2024), four

Four Continents Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, a ...

(2018–2020, 2024), and the 2018 World Junior Championships. He has earned the highest placement by any Mexican skater at a World Championships and qualified to the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

in Beijing.

Personal life

Carrillo was born on 17 November 1999, in

Zapopan Zapopan () is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Zapopan is the largest city in the state. It's best known as the home of the Virgin of Zapopan, an image of the Virgin ...

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, Mexico. Before taking up skating, he was enrolled in gymnastics and diving. His parents are physical education teachers. He has three sisters: Daphne, Daniela and Sonny.

Skating career

Early years

Carrillo began learning to skate in Guadalajara when he was eight years old. In 2013, he moved to León to keep training with his Coach Gregorio Nuñez. His junior international debut came in September 2013 at a

Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

(JGP) event in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, where he placed 15th overall.

2014–2015 season

Carrillo received two JGP assignments. In September, he placed twenty-first at the 2014 Czech Skate after placing twenty-first in both segments. In October, he placed twenty-second at the 2014 JGP Pokal der Blauen Schwerter. Later in the season, he won the junior men's title at the Mexican Championships.

2015–2016 season

In 2015, Carrillo placed eighth at the 2015 Santa Claus Cup in Budapest in the junior men's competition.

2016–2017 season

Returning to the JGP series, Carrillo placed thirteenth in September in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan. In October, he finished ninth at a JGP competition in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, Germany. 2017 WJC - Donovan Carrillo - 03

In March, he placed twenty-seventh in the short program at the 2017 World Junior Championships in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

, Taiwan, and did not advance to the free skate.

2017–2018 season

Making his senior international debut, Carrillo placed ninth at the

Philadelphia Summer International The Philadelphia Summer Championships are an annual figure skating competition sponsored by the IceWorks Skating Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2015 and 2017, it was included on the International Skating Union The International Skating ...

in early August 2017. Later that month, he achieved his career-best JGP result, finishing seventh in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia. In September, he competed at the

2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition held in September 2017 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2017–18 ISU Challenger Series. It also served as the final qualification event for the 2018 Wi ...

, the final qualifying opportunity for the 2018 Winter Olympics. He ranked nineteenth in the short program, twelfth in the free skate, and fourteenth overall, which was not enough for an Olympic spot. In January, Carrillo qualified to the final segment at the 2018 Four Continents Championships in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

; he ranked twenty-second in the short program, seventeenth in the free skate, and eighteenth overall. In March, Carrillo qualified for the final segment at Junior Worlds, placing eighteenth in the short program and twenty-second in the free skate to finish twenty-first overall. Two weeks later, at the

, Donovan placed twenty-fourth in the short program and qualified for the free. He placed twenty-first in the free program and finished twenty-second overall.

2018–2019 season

Carrillo started the season at 2018 JGP Bratislava, where he placed eleventh in both segments and placed eleventh overall. He was offered a second Junior Grand Prix assignment in Linz, Austria, but had to decline because he could not afford to attend the competition. He was assigned to the

2018 CS Autumn Classic International The 2018 CS Autumn Classic International was held in September 2018 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. It was part of the 2018–19 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in single skating, men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dan ...

but withdrew before the event. He had sustained a right ankle injury. At the 2019 Four Continents Championships in January, he placed fourteenth in the short program (and thus qualified for the final segment), placed twentieth in the free program, and seventeenth overall. At Four Continents, Carrillo landed a

triple Axel The Axel jump or Axel Paulsen jump, named after its inventor, Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen, is an edge jump performed in figure skating. It is the sport's oldest and most difficult jump, and the only basic jump in competition with a forw ...

for the first time. In February 2019, the Comisión Nacional de Cultura Física y Deporte announced that Carrillo would be granted funding beginning in March. Carrillo aggravated his ankle injury before the 2019 World Championships, and did not make the free skate.

2019–2020 season

Carrillo won his first international medal, a silver, at the 2019

. Assigned to two Challenger events, he placed tenth at the

2019 CS Autumn Classic International The 2019 CS Autumn Classic International was held in September 2019 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. It was part of the 2019–20 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dance. Entries The International ...

and seventeenth at the

2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb The 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb was held in December 2019 in Zagreb, Croatia. It was part of the 2019–20 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance Ice dan ...

. Competing at the 2020 Four Continents Championships, Carrillo placed fifteenth with new personal bests but came up 0.20 points short of the free skate technical score necessary to qualify to compete at the 2020 World Championships. Due to the pandemic, Carrillo could not train on ice for four months, but the delivery of a harness and spinners allowed him to continue practicing jumps at his coach's house.

2020–2021 season

At the

International Challenge Cup The International Challenge Cup (formerly known as the Ennia Challenge Cup and the Aegon Cup) is an annual figure skating competition generally held in the Netherlands during the last week in February. Although the competition had been held for ...

, held in late February in the Netherlands, Carrillo earned the necessary technical minimum to compete at the 2021 World Championships, which took place in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in March. In Sweden, he qualified to his second Worlds free skate by placing twenty-third in the short program. Ranked nineteenth in the final segment, he would finish twentieth overall. With his placement, he

qualified Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

a men's singles quota spot for Mexico at the

2021–2022 season

Carrillo started the season at the

Skating Club of Boston The Skating Club of Boston is a not-for-profit figure skating club based in Norwood, Massachusetts. Founded in 1912, it is one of the oldest skating clubs in the United States, and a founding member of U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body for ...

's Cranberry Cup, where he finished in ninth place. Competing at the Festival Abierto Mexicano, Carrillo won the gold medal and became the first Mexican skater ever to land a

quadruple jump A quadruple jump or quad is a figure skating jump with at least four (but fewer than five) revolutions. All quadruple jumps have four revolutions, except for the quadruple Axel jump, Axel, which has four and a half revolutions. The quadruple toe ...

, the quadruple Salchow, in a competition. At the

2021 U.S. Classic The 2021 U.S. Classic, known as the 2021 GK U.S. Classic for sponsorship reasons, is the 37th edition of the U.S. Classic gymnastics tournament. The competition was held on May 21–22, 2021, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, India ...

, Carrillo finished in fifth place with new personal bests. At the

2021 CS Finlandia Trophy The 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy was held on October 7–10, 2021 in Espoo, Finland. It was part of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, pairs, an ...

, he became the first Mexican to land a quadruple Salchow in combination in an international competition. Scoring a new personal best in his free skate, Carrillo finished in fifteenth. After winning his fourth national title at the Mexican championships, Carrillo was named to the Mexican Olympic team and opted to withdraw from the 2022 Four Continents Championships to minimize the risk of catching

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

in the interim. Shortly afterward, he was named one of Mexico's flagbearers for the

opening ceremonies An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

, alongside

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

Sarah Schleper Sarah Schleper (born February 19, 1979), also known as Sarah Schleper de Gaxiola, is an alpine skier whose career started in 1995. She competed for the United States in four Winter Olympics from 1998-2010, and later competed for Mexico at the W ...

. Carrillo scored a new personal best of 79.69 in the short program of the Olympic men's event, placing nineteenth and becoming the first Mexican skater to qualify for the free skate segment at the Olympic Games. He called it "a dream come true." Placing twenty-second in the free skate, he finished twenty-second overall. Carrillo was scheduled to finish the season at the 2022 World Championships in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

but was forced to withdraw after his skates were lost in transit.

2022–2023 season

Carrillo finished eighth at the 2022 CS U.S. Classic and then was invited to make his senior Grand Prix debut at the

2022 Skate America The 2022 Skate America was the first event of the 2022–23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Tenley E. Albright Performance Center in Norwood, Massachusetts, from ...

. He finished twelfth at the event. Carrillo missed the rest of the

2022–23 figure skating season The 2022–23 figure skating season began on July 1, 2022, and ended on June 30, 2023. During this season, elite skaters competed at the ISU (International Skating Union) Championship level at the 2023 European Championships, Four Continents Ch ...

due to an ankle injury that required surgery, which he had done in December. Donovan Carrillo 2024 Worlds Short Program 4

2023–2024 season

In July 2023, Carrillo announced that he had relocated to

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, to train at the Thornhill Figure Skating Club, coached by Jonathan Mills and Myke Gillman. He started the season with a fifth-place finish at the 2023

Cranberry Cup International The Cranberry Cup International is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Skating Club of Boston at their facility in Norwood, Massachusetts, in the United States. Th ...

, before coming eleventh at the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International. Carrillo won the silver medal at

in October and silver medal at the

a month later. Carrillo was fifteenth at both the

and

2024–2025 season

Carrillo began the season at the

Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy The Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy (also known as the Asian Trophy; previously known as the Asian Figure Skating Championships) is an annual international figure skating competition sanctioned by the Asian Skating Union. In some years, the eve ...

, finishing in sixth place. In September, Carrillo won his seventh national title at the

Mexican Figure Skating Championships The Mexican Figure Skating Championships are held annually to crown the national champions of Mexico. Skaters compete in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a disci ...

. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, Carrillo finished twelfth at 2024 Skate America. He followed this up by winning silver at the 2024 NRW Trophy, the 2025 Bavarian Open, and the 2025 International Challenge Cup. In February, Carrillo finished eleventh at the 2025 Four Continents Championships in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. One month later, he competed at the 2025 World Championships, held in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, United States. He placed twenty-seventh in the short program and did not advance to the free skate segment of the competition.

Programs

Competitive highlights

Detailed results

Senior level

Junior level

References

External links

*
Donovan Carrillo
at SkatingScores * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carrillo, Donovan 1999 births Mexican male single skaters Living people Sportspeople from Zapopan, Jalisco Sportspeople from León, Guanajuato Figure skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics Olympic figure skaters for Mexico 21st-century Mexican sportsmen