Mexican skater Donovan Carrillo, during the final in Beijing. JONATHAN ERNST (REUTERS)
Donovan Carrillo dazzled in his own way.
The spoiled skater from Mexico has lived through the best moments, so far, of his fervent career.
In his first Olympic experience, he was among the 24 finalists.
A total milestone for his country.
Furthermore, he surpassed himself to break his personal record and fight for the Olympic medal.
Despite his tension, in the long program his nerves interfered with his agility and prevented him from breaking into the top 10.
The Latin seal was put by Donovan Carrillo, 22 years old.
He took the music in Spanish with Boaventura and Carlos Rivera with
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
(Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps).
He did not want to fall into the unwritten norm of classical music songs, piano notes, which have become a tradition in skating events.
In his place, he brought a list of songs with more seasoning from his region with
María
by Ricky Martin, and even
Sway
by Dean Martin.
He had more revenue from winning than losing.
The crystal-studded black suit swished across the frozen folder.
In the high tension competition, Carrillo had a couple of mistakes and a fall that could have stopped everything in its tracks.
The Mexican, with an indelible smile, continued with his introduction.
The judges punished the mistakes and gave it a rating of 138.44.
This, added to his free program, places him with 218.13 points among the best 22 in the final, above the Swiss Lukas Britschgi and the Ukrainian Ivan Schmuratko.
“[They were] good results, in both programs.
I felt a little nervous, but it's part of skating.
The most important thing is that I enjoyed it.
Fight for everything and not give up, ”Carrillo told Claro Sports after his participation.
Donovan Carrillo went out on the track to do his own thing, to enjoy himself, to let himself be enveloped by the music and the ice in China.
The Mexican skater beat himself in the free skate by reaching the best participation of his still nascent skating career.
In the test of 29 dancers on the track, Carrillo took 19th place and a score of 79.69.
A merit for an athlete in 77th place in the world ranking.
Donovan Carrillo's spell with his country began when he was 16 years old when he surfed social media for one of his routines at the Gran Prix Figure Skating.
It was only his fourth international competition.
He used the song
Hasta que te conocí
by Juan Gabriel as a nod to his mother, Diana Suazo, a fan of the Mexican artist.
From then on, Mexico knew that he had a jewel with the skates.
Carrillo entered the Olympic Games in April 2021 after finishing 20th in Stockholm, Sweden.
Carrillo's feat, however, leaves seeds in a country that has discovered that it is possible to compete in the elite of winter competitions even without an ice rink.
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