Donovan Carrillo, Mexico’s first Olympic figure skater in 30 years, makes history at Beijing 2022

(CNN) — Donovan Carrillo of Mexico said he was told by many people that it was impossible for a Mexican figure skater to qualify for the Winter Olympics. But in Beijing on Tuesday, he qualified for the figure skating final after his performance in the men’s short program.

Carrillo is the first Olympic figure skater from Mexico in 30 years and his country’s flag bearer at Beijing 2022.

After his performance, Donovan Carrillo said he was “super happy” with his performance, his highlight being a quadruple jump.

“I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to keep skating and living the Olympic dream,” he said.

On being a Latin American athlete at the Beijing Olympics, Carrillo said: “A lot of people told me at the beginning of my career that this was a crazy dream.”

“I always tried to push more and more, competition by competition, to try to be the best version of myself. I want people in Latin America and in my country to think about it, have their big goals and go for it,” he said.

On being able to put together an Olympic-level program despite training on a mall ice rink during public sessions, Carrillo said: “It’s a challenge, I’m not lying.”

“But instead of regretting and thinking about what I don’t have, I always try to work with what I do have. That is key for me to be here. It’s better to focus on what you have and try to exploit that and live the dream.”