Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Donovan Carrillo

Discover the career path of Donovan Carrillo, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Donovan Daniel Carrillo Suazo is a Mexican figure skater renowned for his achievements in the sport. He is a seven-time Mexican national champion and has earned international accolades including silver medals at the 2023 NRW Trophy, 2023 Tayside Trophy, and 2019 Philadelphia International. Carrillo has reached the final segment at six ISU Championships, including three World Championships, four Four Continents Championships, and the 2018 World Junior Championships. Notably, he achieved the highest placement for a Mexican skater at a World Championship and qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. As of October 2025, he was ranked 42nd in the ISU World Standings.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

September 2013: Junior International Debut

In September 2013, Donovan Carrillo made his junior international debut at a Junior Grand Prix (JGP) event in Mexico City, finishing 15th overall.

2013: Move to León for Training

In 2013, Donovan Carrillo moved to León to continue training with his coach Gregorio Nuñez after his home rink in Guadalajara closed.

2014: Junior Grand Prix and Mexican Championships

In 2014, Donovan Carrillo participated in two JGP events, placing twenty-first at the Czech Skate in September and twenty-second at the JGP Pokal der Blauen Schwerter in October. Later in the season, he won the junior men's title at the Mexican Championships.

2015: Santa Claus Cup Placement

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

August 2017: Senior International Debut and JGP Result

In early August 2017, Donovan Carrillo made his senior international debut, placing ninth at the Philadelphia Summer International. Later that month, he achieved his career-best JGP result, finishing seventh in Brisbane, Australia.

2017: 2017 Mexican National Champion

In 2017, Donovan Carrillo became the Mexican national champion.

2017: World Junior Championships

In March 2017, Donovan Carrillo placed twenty-seventh in the short program at the World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan, and did not advance to the free skate.

2018: 2018 World Championships Qualification

In 2018, Donovan Carrillo competed in the final segment at the World Championships, Four Continents, and the World Junior Championships.

2018: Junior Grand Prix and Injury

In 2018, Donovan Carrillo started the season at JGP Bratislava, placing eleventh overall. He declined a second JGP assignment due to financial constraints and withdrew from the CS Autumn Classic International due to a right ankle injury.

2018: Four Continents and World Championships

In January 2018, Donovan Carrillo qualified to the final segment at the Four Continents Championships, finishing eighteenth overall. In March, he qualified for the final segment at Junior Worlds, placing twenty-first overall. Later in March 2018, at the World Championships, he qualified for the free program and finished twenty-second overall.

2018: Olympic Qualification Attempt

In September 2017, Donovan Carrillo competed at the CS Nebelhorn Trophy, the final qualifying opportunity for the 2018 Winter Olympics. He ranked fourteenth overall, which was not enough for an Olympic spot.

2019: 2019 Philadelphia International silver medalist

In 2019, Donovan Carrillo was the Philadelphia International silver medalist, and a seven-time Mexican national champion.

2019: First International Medal

In 2019, Donovan Carrillo won his first international medal, a silver, at the Philadelphia Summer International. He was assigned to two Challenger events, placing tenth at the CS Autumn Classic International and seventeenth at the CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.

2019: Four Continents Championships and Triple Axel

In January 2019, Donovan Carrillo competed at the Four Continents Championships, placing seventeenth overall and landing a triple Axel for the first time.

2020: Four Continents Championships

In 2020, Donovan Carrillo competed at the Four Continents Championships, placing fifteenth. He came up 0.20 points short of the free skate technical score necessary to qualify to compete at the World Championships.

2020: 2020 Mexican National Champion

In 2020, Donovan Carrillo was the Mexican national champion.

2021: 2021 World Championships Qualification and Placement

At the International Challenge Cup in late February, Donovan Carrillo earned the necessary technical minimum to compete at the 2021 World Championships. In March 2021 in Stockholm, he qualified to his second Worlds free skate, placing twenty-third in the short program. He finished twentieth overall.

2021: 2021 World Championships Qualification

In 2021, Donovan Carrillo competed in the final segment at the World Championships.

2021: Quadruple Jump and Personal Bests

In 2021, Donovan Carrillo finished ninth at the Cranberry Cup. He won gold at the Festival Abierto Mexicano, landing the first quadruple jump (Salchow) by a Mexican skater in competition. He placed fifth at the U.S. Classic with new personal bests. At the CS Finlandia Trophy, he landed a quadruple Salchow in combination internationally and finished fifteenth with a new personal best in his free skate.

2022: Olympics and Flag Bearer

After winning his fourth national title, Donovan Carrillo was named to the Mexican Olympic team and was one of Mexico's flagbearers for the opening ceremonies alongside Sarah Schleper. He scored a new personal best 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 finished twenty-second overall.

2022: World Championships Withdrawal

Donovan Carrillo was scheduled to finish the 2022 season at the World Championships in Montpellier, but he was forced to withdraw after his skates were lost in transit.

2022: 2022 Winter Olympics Qualification

In 2021, Donovan Carrillo's placement at the World Championships secured a men's singles quota spot for Mexico at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

2022: Senior Grand Prix Debut

In 2022, Donovan Carrillo finished eighth at the CS U.S. Classic and then made his senior Grand Prix debut at Skate America, finishing twelfth at the event.

July 2023: Relocation to Toronto

In July 2023, Donovan Carrillo announced that he had relocated to Toronto, Ontario, to train at the Thornhill Figure Skating Club, coached by Jonathan Mills and Myke Gillman.

2023: 2023 NRW Trophy silver medalist

In 2023, Donovan Carrillo achieved the silver medal at the NRW Trophy and the silver medal at the Tayside Trophy

2023: 2023 Season

In 2023, Donovan Carrillo finished fifth at the Cranberry Cup International and eleventh at the CS Autumn Classic International. He won silver medals at the Tayside Trophy in October and at the NRW Trophy a month later.

2024: 2024 Season

In 2024, Donovan Carrillo competed in the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, finishing in sixth place. In September, Carrillo won his seventh national title at the Mexican Figure Skating Championships. He competed on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, finishing twelfth at 2024 Skate America.

2024: 2024 Mexican National Champion

In 2024, Donovan Carrillo was the Mexican national champion. He also competed in the final segment at the Four Continents.

October 2025: ISU World Standings Ranking

In October 2025, Donovan Carrillo was ranked 42nd in the ISU World Standings.

2025: 2025 Season

Donovan Carrillo started the 2025 season with a sixth-place finish at the CS Cranberry Cup International. The following month, he won the bronze medal at the ISU Skate to Milano, the final qualifier for the 2026 Winter Olympics. A couple weeks following that event, Carrillo placed tenth at the CS Trialeti Trophy.

2025: Four Continents and World Championships

In February 2025, Donovan Carrillo finished eleventh at the Four Continents Championships in Seoul, South Korea. In March 2025, he competed at the World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, but did not advance to the free skate segment.

2026: 2026 Winter Olympics Qualification

In 2025, Donovan Carrillo secured a spot for Mexico in the men's singles discipline at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics.

2026: Flag Bearer at 2026 Olympics

In January 2026, Donovan Carrillo competed at the Four Continents Championships, finishing in fifteenth place. In January 2026, it was announced that Carrillo and alpine skier Sarah Schleper had been selected as flag bearers for Mexico during the Olympic opening ceremony.