Donovan, Mexico's divo on ice

onovan Daniel Carrillo Suazo has only one dream in mind: representing Mexico at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The 16 year-old athlete was all smiles during an exclusive interview with EL UNIVERSAL where he talked about the video that went viral of his routine at the Junior Grand Prix in Japan. His routine was set to the song Hasta que te conocí, by the late Mexican singer Juan Gabriel.

“It's really cool to know that lots of people know your work and efforts. With the video, people say: he's someone who's working really hard and training to represent his country. I'm proud of my hard work and the people who support and help me,” said the Jalisco native, who will participate at the 2017 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei, China.

With 17 national medals, five international medals and eight years experience to his name, Donovan belongs to the international Junior category, which means he can compete at the Olympic Games. He's the only male figure skater in his category in Mexico with who qualifies to represent Mexico at international competitions.

Donovan's athletic history has been influenced by his family and has gone through several stages, which include ballet, diving and gymnastics, before he finally decided to focus on figure skating. “My parents are Physical Education professors. Everything started in 2008. I had a crush on a girl who was training with my sister. I would go see her and I eventually asked my mom if I could take skating classes. When I turned nine, I told myself: 'I do want to be someone in the skating world, I want to win competitions all over the world.”

From that moment, the youngest of three children, works tirelessly to reach his goals. He goes to school during the day and then trains five hours, six times per week. And he also has worked for three years giving skating lessons to young girls in León, Guanajuato.

“In 2013, the skating rink I trained at closed in Guadalajara. My trainer was offered a job here in Leon, and I was preparing myself for an international competition in Mexico City. So I asked if I could go live with him for a few months, which then became years and here we are,” he said.

Leaving his family and friends behind was the biggest sacrifice Donovan had to make in order to follow his dream. However, he says he has a really good relationship with his parents. “It was complicated and difficult because I was the youngest of the family. I told them what my plans were; I told them I wanted to grow and this was something I had to do. They support me a lot.”

Earlier this year, Donovan chose Hasta que te conocí by Juan Gabriel for his routine in Japan. A few months later, the famous singer passed away and Donovan's video went viral.

“My mom really likes his music, so we grew up listening to Juan Gabriel. Hasta que te conocí is one of my favorites by him. I told my trainer about the idea, which he liked and I dedicated the routine to my mother,” said Donovan.