Donovan Carrillo on what he learned from Nathan Chen and "mystical" Hanyu Yuzuru at Beijing 2022

Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo didn't just tell people to dream big at Beijing 2022, he showed them how.

His spectacular short program in China was enough to make history as he became the first Mexican to make the it through to the free skate.

He finished 22nd overall competing against one of the greatest generations of figure skaters the world has ever seen, representing Latinos everywhere skating to music by giants like Carlos Santana, Carlos Rivera, Ricky Martin, and Elvis Crespo.

And things have gotten a little crazy since then.

He went viral across Latin America, got a hero's welcome home, leapt from 100k to almost 500k followers on Instagram, and has just done a Calvin Klein photoshoot.

Amid all of that, he managed to spare 45 minutes to talk to Olympics.com on an Instagram live on 13 March.

At home in Mexico just days before the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships in Montpellier, France, Carrillo talked about his Beijing experience and how much he learned from sharing the ice with two of the greatest ever - Beijing 2022 Olympic gold medallist Nathan Chen, and the man who won the previous two; the legendary Hanyu Yuzuru.

"I shared my first Junior Grand Prix with Nathan Chen," Carrillo says, "and you could see the incredible level he was skating at even then, a strong athlete with an even stronger attitude.

"He helped me see the reality that the level was up here and I was still down here and I realised that I'd have to give it everything I had if I wanted to compete at the Olympics.

"And then to be able to share the ice with Yuzuru Hanyu, I have so much admiration for everything he's achieved, for the great passion and hunger he always has to set new records.

"These Olympics weren't any different, he tried to land a quadruple Axel which is just out of this world, to land a jump of that magnitude would be something completely historic in our sport."

What Donovan Carrillo learned from "unique, mystical" Hanyu

"Special, magical and impossible to describe" are the words the Mexican skater uses to convey what his Olympic experience was like.

He talks about the quality of the ice, the feeling in the stadium, how everything was set up "perfectly" for the skaters.

He also shares what it was like to be up close, studying Hanyu.

"He is someone with a unique persona, he's very mystical and everything he does involves so many rituals that you don't get to see on TV or on the videos.

"He has all these little curiosities that remind me a lot of Rafa Nadal when he's about to serve, his routines that he follows in every game, Yuzuru has lots of little things that I think help him a lot and that have helped him make history in our sport."

So what did he learn from them that he can use moving forward?

"There's so much you can learn from the athletes that make the Olympics: The way they warm up, and just from sharing more time with them in the canteen for example, it makes everything a little less... secret.

"The routine makes the aura surrounding them fade a little, they seem a bit more normal, just like you and me, and you see they just achieved what they have through sacrifice, hard work, discipline and above all, patience.

"I've tried to take away some lessons like the exercises they do, how they warm up, things that can help me aspire to better results."

Donovan Carrillo's dogs: Dali and Sara

The Mexican skate star gave us a little glimpse into his life during the Insta live and we even got to meet his dogs Dali - like the painter Salvador - and Sara.

"I have a few hobbies but my favourite is to spend time with my puppies," he says, "I also love watching series, I'm a fan of everything, comedy, thrillers, and I love superhero films."

So which superhero would he love to be?

The Flash.

Makes sense when you see the speed he gets up to on the ice. And what about the first dish he asked his mom to cook for him when he got back from Beijing?

'Torta ahogada', a kind of sub sandwich 'drowned' in a spicy sauce - a Guadalajara specialty.

Ask him about the music he listens to before competition and he says:

"Luis Miguel (a popular Mexican singer), he makes very romantic, passionate songs and it puts me in a really good mood before I compete."

And of course, he tells us the story of Lisa - the reason why he went to figure skating practice in the first place.

"I went to watch my sister skate and there I met Lisa and I fell in love with her, so to try and win her over I went to skate classes... we had a little childhood romance, we sent each other letters, it was all very innocent.

"But when she moved to another city I had already fallen in love with figure skating, I found my passion."

And Lisa?

"I don't really keep in contact but I have to thank her for helping me find my passion in life."

So what does he love most about his sport?

"The thing I enjoy most when I'm skating on the ice is the feeling of freedom, the ability to express our emotions when we're on the ice."

Donovan Carillo at the 2022 World Championships: "No limits"

Now just before the world champs which run from 23-27 March, Carrillo is hoping to continue his history-making form.

He's building to the next Olympic Winter Games at Milano-Cortina in 2026 where he's dreaming even bigger and doesn't discount the possibility of a first ever Mexican Olympic figure skating medal.

But first up is to increase the complexity of his routines and build slowly, making the top 15 in the world, then the top ten and progressing to the top five.

So what are the objectives at the season-closing World Championships in France?

"My aim at the world champs is to improve on my result from Beijing.

"Preparations have gone really well so I'm really excited and motivated to take another even bigger step in this competition and now there are no limits."