No ice, no problem. Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo’s impossible dream
Limits never existed for Donovan Carrillo, the Mexican skater. With only a pair of skates and the ice rink of a shopping mall as a training scenario, he began to forge a dream that, over time, materialized to become not only a personal milestone, but a historic one for all of Mexico.
Carrillo, 26, is the first Mexican to qualify for the figure skating final at the Olympic Winter Games, achieving it for the first time at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and the current Milano Cortina 2026. In addition, he has won other titles during his career of almost 20 years.
The skater has become living proof that even when accessible roads are nonexistent, one can create them, because choosing figure skating as a discipline in Mexico is a challenge due to the lack of infrastructure to practice it.
“I was told many times that I would never achieve anything in figure skating. That it was crazy to even try,” Carrillo told Olympics.com. “And that the most I could hope for in an international competition was to finish last. I’ve proven that Mexicans have a lot to offer in sports.”
The beginning: A dream over ice at a mall
Born in Zapopan, Jalisco, Carrillo fell in love with figure skating when he was 8 years old. At the time, he was involved in gymnastics and diving. That spark for figure skating came thanks to his older sister, Daphne, who practiced the sport.
“I used to go with my parents to pick her up, and that’s what led me to meet a girl and fall in love,” Carrillo told Olympics.com.
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After Carrillo began training, figure skating became an expensive sport for his family, and they were no longer able to afford lessons with his coach, Gregorio Núñez. But the coach did not want to part ways with the athlete and his family, as Carrillo’s future looked bright in his eyes.
“I saw that he was a child with a special spark, with charisma,” Núñez said for Winter Tracks, an original Olympic Channel series. “At that moment, I believed it was the best option, and now I think I wasn’t wrong.”
The shared dream between Núñez, Carrillo and his family led Donovan to move from Zapopan to León, Guanajuato, with his coach in 2013 to continue training in the sport. He kept training at a shopping mall ice rink while drawing inspiration from figure skating greats Yuzuru Hanyu and Javier Fernández.
After years of practice and growth miles away from home, Carrillo began competing nationally. His first competition took place in Mexico City in 2013 when he participated in the ISU Joven Magnífico Prix (JGP).
The evolution and present: A historic Mexican milestone for figure skating
During the 2017–2018 season, Carrillo competed in his first international tournament. In 2019, he made history by becoming the first Mexican to land a triple axel in an official competition and earned his first international medal at the Philadelphia Summer International, where he placed second.
In 2022, Carrillo experienced the “pinch me” moment every athlete dreams of: competing in the Olympic Games. He secured his spot thanks to his 20th-place finish at the 2021 World Championship, becoming the first Mexican in 30 years to compete in the men’s individual figure skating program at the Olympics.
But making it to the Olympics and performing in the short program of the competition was not the end of the story. Historic achievements continued for Carrillo and Mexico when he qualified for the free skate program (final) concluding the Olympic tournament in 22nd place.
“My performance at Beijing 2022 is proof that the only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves,” Carrillo told Olympics.com.
Carrillo experienced a sense of déjà vu at the Milano Cortina 2026, where the Mexican once again took to the ice with technique, attitude and confidence. These qualities led him to qualify once more for the final program in figure skating, where he finished the competition in 22nd place again.
But beyond medals, Carrillo has earned the love of many, especially his fellow Mexicans. One of the greatest proofs of that support came in the applause that blended with chants that yelled “Donovan! Donovan!” following his short program performance at the 2026 Olympics — a moment sealed with an inspiring message from the athlete.
“This is for Mexico,” Carrillo said, looking into the camera after finishing his performance. “Dreams do come true.”
Reach out to La Voz reporter Paula Soria via email:[email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Donovan Carrillo? The only Latino figure skater at the Olympics
Mexico Announces Roster For Iceland Friendly; 7 Chivas Players Called Up
The Mexico National Team announced its official roster for the friendly match against Iceland, which will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at Estadio Corregidora in the city of Queretaro. Once again, Chivas is the club contributing the most players to the squad, with seven representatives. The players selected by head coach Javier Aguirre must report starting Sunday. Former USMNT players on the roster Among the call-ups are Mexican-Americans Brian Gutierrez, a former Chicago Fire player now with Chivas, who decided to represent Mexico in hopes of earning a spot on the final roster for the 2026 World Cup, and Richard Ledezma, who had previously played for the USMNT but recently chose to represent Mexico. Efrain Alvarez, also of Chivas and formerly of LA Galaxy, was also included by Javier Aguirre. 'Vasco' continues evaluating players The match against Iceland is part of the national team’s preparation schedule and will allow the coaching staff to evaluate players from various Liga MX clubs. Because it's not an official FIFA international window, the coaching staff couldn't call up players who compete outside of Mexico. So, the roster is made up exclusively of Liga MX players. Chivas lead the way in call-ups Chivas contributed the most players to this roster with seven: Raul Rangel, Richard Ledezma, Diego Campillo, Brian Gutiérrez, Efraín Álvarez, Roberto Alvarado and Armando Gonzalez. America and Toluca rostered four players each. Mexico's roster Goalkeepers Luis Ángel Malagón (América)Raúl Rangel (Chivas)Carlos Acevedo (Santos) Defenders Richard Ledezma (Chivas)Jesus Garza (Tigres)Víctor Guzmán (Rayados)Israel Reyes (América)Everardo López (Toluca)Jesus Gallardo (Toluca)Diego Campillo (Chivas) Midfielders Erik Lira (Cruz Azul)Erick Sanchez (América)Carlos Rodríguez (Cruz Azul)Denzell Garcia (FC Juarez)Marcel Ruiz (Toluca)Brian Gutiérrez (Chivas)Alexis Gutierrez (América) Forwards Efraín Álvarez (Chivas)Roberto Alvarado (Chivas)Guillermo Martinez (Pumas)Armando González (Chivas)
Kansas State Baseball 2026 Second Weekend
Your Kansas State Wildcats are back in action this weekend after coming off an opening weekend blitz that saw them start the season 4-0 with wins over Iowa, UConn, Penn State, and Air Force.
It wasn’t exactly a murderers row, but the BatCats did what they were supposed to do, downing Big 10 foes Iowa and Penn State without hardly breaking a sweat (the Cats nearly scored more runs in one inning against the Nittany Lions (14) than they scored the whole game against the Hawkeyes (15)), holding off a feisty Air Force squad, and maintaining composure to the end to come back and beat Big East-favorite UConn. While it’s not the first time the Wildcats have opened the season 4-0, it is the first time K-State has done so against four different opponents — so that’s pretty neat.
After a brief stop in Manhattan to reload the luggage, the Wildcats have headed south to Texas for the second weekend of the 2026 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. There is a significant step up in competition this weekend, and while K-State gets the “easy” side of things in a weekend that features three ranked teams, it’s certainly going to be no picnic.
Friday night at 7pm CT, the Wildcats are set to face #9 Auburn. Saturday, it’s a 7pm CT contest against familiar foe Nebraksa. Then Sunday the Wildcats wrap up their weekend with a 6:30pm CT tilt against the Wolverines of Michigan. They’ll get to avoid playing #15 Louisville and #16 Florida State.
Unlike last weekend where the Wildcats were heavy favorites in every game, K-State will be the underdog in at leas the game against Auburn, and are likely a “push” against Nebraska and maybe a slight favorite over Michigan. Regardless, K-State needs to leave this weekend with at least one win, two would be better. A 3-0 run would vault the Cats up the Top 25 list and put some serious juice into the already high expectations in Manhattan.
All three games this weekend from Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX will be available on KMAN in Manhattan and online at KStateSports.com/watch with Brian Smoller calling the action there. And all three will also be available to watch on FloSports, which costs $20 for a one-month subscription.
Game 1
James Guyette takes the mound this evening for the game against the #9 Tigers. He picked up the win in the debut, giving up eight hits and four earned runs while fanning 8 batters and issuing four free bases (three on hit-by-pitch) in five innings of work before giving way to the bullpen.
Facing him will be sophomore lefty Jake Marciano in his second start of the season. Marciano went 4-2 with a 6.08 ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts) as a true freshman at Virginia Tech last year before heading to Auburn. In the opener for the Tigers against Youngstown State, he gave up two hits and one run with 12 strikeouts and no free bases in five innings of work. He didn’t pick up the win because the Tigers offense didn’t catch until late, but managed just two runs against the visitors in the win.
Last time out, the Tigers pick up their first loss of the season, a surprising 0-8 defeat at home to Big 12 foe Cincinnati, to head into tonight’s game at 3-1 overall. This is a game K-State is fully capable of winning assuming the offense can stay hot.
Game 2
Saturday night the Wildcats will face off against the Cornhuskers for what will be the first of at least three games against the former conference mates. Nebraska was also at the MLB Desert Invitational last weekend, and notably opened the season with a 12-2 win over UConn — the same team the BatCats struggled a bit against last Saturday before a five-run 8th gave the Cats all the advantage they needed in a 7-3 win.
On the mound for the Cats is RHP Donte Lewis, as Pete Hughes appears sold on the strong two-way player as his Saturday starter, despite managing just two innings against the Huskies before getting lifted. Lewis gave up three hits and three earned runs while tossing just three strikeouts to four walks in two innings credited (he was lifted in the third without recording an out). But Carson Liggett came out of the pen and posted a brilliant five innigns, giving up just two hits while striking out five batters.
Countering for the Huskers is sophomore righty Carson Jasa. Jasa is 1-0 on the season after starting and going five innings against Northeastern in their Saturday game in Arizona. He gave up five hits and four runs (three earned) while tossing nine strikeouts to just one walk to help the Huskers to a 7-4 win in their second game of the season.
Nebraska also sits at 3-1 on the season after they dropped the Monday game 6-11 to Stanford. They’re facing #15 Louisville this afternoon to open the series.
Game 3
Sunday evening the Cats will send LHP Lincoln Sheffield to the mound to face the Wolverines. Sheffield is 1-0 on the season after giving up eight hits but just three runs (two earned) and throwing five strikeouts in five innings against Penn State last Sunday. Sheffield’s outing was fiarly easy, as the K-State offense had blistered the Lions even before the 14-run outburst in the 7th that allowed the game to end early.
Michigan has not yet named a starter for Sunday, but they sent senior RHP Kurt Barr to the mound last Sunday in a 4-1 win over then-#24 Arizona in Surprise, AZ (but not at the same opening series as K-State and Nebraska). Michigan opened the season 3-0 with wins over #12 Oregon State, Stanford, and Arizona, before falling to Oregon State in a rematch last Monday. They opened action today at 11am CT against #16 Florida State, and fell 1-6 to the Seminoles to open their run in Arlington. They will face #15 Louisville on Saturday, also at 11am CT.
Bulldog reunion: Shorter, Howard reconnect on senior night at CJHS
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Brad Shorter called it “odd” on Tuesday night to be back on the court inside Carl Junction High School’s gymnasium, but to be on the opposite side of the sideline.
He guided McDonald County High School past Carl Junction that night in a girls basketball contest, something he hadn’t done since the 2013-2014 season when he coached at Webb City. The next year he was a Bulldog, and he stayed with Carl Junction for nine straight seasons. He coached at the school a total of 12 years, as he was also head coach from 2005-2008 prior to spending six years at Webb City.
Tuesday night’s game saw the Mustangs outlast the Bulldogs 41-32. The game was tight almost all night long. The largest lead was 12 points for Shorter and his team but CJ closed the gap late to cut it to 5 points before ultimately losing by 9.
“I hope no one plays well against McDonald County except for maybe Carl Junction. You know? ’Cause I love those kids and the ones that I got to coach,” Shorter said.
After 12 seasons and notching the majority of his now 504 career wins at CJ, it’s hard to not be OK with that team playing well against him. The win over the Bulldogs marked 503 in Shorter’s career as a head coach and he notched 504 on Wednesday against Aurora. He earned 275 of those wins as a Bulldog and posted a 275-72 overall record.
So, being back there Tuesday was simply “cool,” even if it was as a coach of a different team. Part of that is because of an individual or two.
Reunion
Shorter’s 2022-23 squad at CJHS made a run to a state championship game, finishing runner-up after a close loss to Lutheran St. Charles. His daughter, Hali, was a senior on that team and was a key part of his final Bulldog journey.
On Tuesday, there was one player from that special season still wearing a Bulldog uniform — Jadyn Howard.
“It was cool. It was really good to see Jadyn (Howard) play her senior game because she was on our team in ’23 and just a great kid,” Shorter said.
He wasn’t the only one that evening remembering that season and that team. During the senior night festivities, the master of ceremonies at Carl Junction read that Howard said, “Thank you to coach Shorter and the rest of the 2023 team” for helping her to become who she is today and to be confident in herself as a basketball player.
“That’s pretty cool, man,” Shorter said about hearing Howard’s thanks.
Shorter only coached his former athlete one season at the high school level, so why did she feel the need to give him thanks?
It all began before she got to high school. She recalls playing basketball for the first time and being on the same team as the coach’s son, Maddox, who is a junior at CJ this year. Coach Shorter also coached that youth team.
“Being a little girl, having a dream of playing for him at the high school level one day because they were always successful — once I finally got that opportunity freshman year — it was a whole whirlwind of emotions knowing that I’ve worked up to that my whole life. He’s been a big impact on my basketball career,” Howard said.
That season benefited Howard as an athlete because, she says, the players were helpful in boosting her confidence as a nervous freshman.
“Coming in and feeling adopted by a group of upperclassmen was really special to me,” Howard said. “You come in with a lot of fear, and they instilled a lot of confidence in me.”
Shorter even met with Howard in the school prior to Tuesday’s game starting and gifted her flowers and words she could keep with her.
“He hasn’t been my coach since my freshman year, but there’s still that relationship there that he’ll always care for me as a person and a player,” Howard said. “I went into the locker room and read it, and it brought tears to my eyes understanding that he saw my whole story unfold and he’ll always be there for me no matter where I go after high school.”
“She’s always going to have a special place in my heart. All these kids do, every kid that plays for me. … That’s why we (coaches) get into it — to help kids. She’s going to be very successful whatever she does,” Shorter said.
Shorter noted that a big part of the excitement for Tuesday night was also getting to watch his son play as well.
2026 Mustangs
Shorter and the Mustangs are 19-4 with three regular season games remaining next Monday, Thursday and Friday. They’re 7-0 in Big 8 Conference play and could be facing Nevada (18-3, 6-0 Big 8) for a conference title at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Nevada. If the Tigers beat Cassville on Friday night, next week’s contest will be for the Big 8 title.
McDonald County is ranked No. 2 in Class 5; Nevada is unranked in Class 4.
Giants hire ninth strength and conditioning coach to John Harbaugh’s staff
John Harbaugh stacked his new Giants staff on Friday with a ninth coach in the strength and conditioning department.
Sam Rosengarten is following Harbaugh to New York from the Ravens to become the Giants’ new “director of high performance,” the same title he held in his ninth and final season in Baltimore.
This is an interesting title because it sounds similar to Aaron Wellman’s. Wellman is the Giants’ “executive director of player performance.” Harbaugh already announced he was retaining Wellman from the previous staff.
The team website still lists Wellman at the top of the Giants’ “strength and conditioning / performance” hierarchy, though, with Rosengarten as second-in-command and Ron Shrift — another Harbaugh Baltimore hire — on board as the “director of strength and conditioning.”
In addition to Rosengarten, Harbaugh hired five football analysts on Friday: Skyler Mornhinweg, Taylor Kolste, Patrick Moynahan, Kyrell Michael and Bonner Bordelon. Mornhinweg is the son of longtime NFL coach Marty Mornhinweg.
Harbaugh’s nine-man strength staff now includes six holdovers and three new hires.
Wellman, assistant strength and conditioning coach Chris Allen, performance manager/assistant strength and conditioning coach Sam Coad, director of performance nutrition Matthew Frakes, assistant strength and conditioning coach Mark Naylor and assistant director of strength and conditioning Drew Wilson are back.
Rosengarten, Shrift and assistant strength coach Brian Ellis are all new.
The evolution of this crowded staff will be interesting to watch. Harbaugh’s turnover of the building included a major shakeup in hiring new head athletic trainer Adam Bennett from the University of Miami, with Ronnie Barnes moving out of his longtime position to continue overseeing medical services in some capacity, per the team.
Rosengarten has nine seasons of NFL experience, all with the Ravens. He held the same role in Baltimore, where he oversaw player monitoring systems, training load management, recovery protocols, and performance analytics.
The Giants say he “integrated real-time biometric monitoring during practice, advanced player‑monitoring protocols and injury‑prevention strategies tailored to the demands of the NFL.” And “his expertise helped shape new data applications within the organization, driving innovation in injury forecasting and personalized athlete development to enhance player availability, optimize performance and support overall team success.”
Before arriving in Baltimore, Rosengarten led the Buffalo Sabres’ injury‑prevention program for two NHL seasons and oversaw all day‑to‑day care of the players. He also has consulted previously for the NBA’s Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder.
He seems to arrive with the credentials and title of someone who will one day run this department. For now, he is a part of a crowded collaboration as the Giants forge ahead and attempt to improve all operations.