In the two weeks since Juan Gabriel died of a heart attack, touching tributes have poured in from all over the world. This weekend, 16-year-old figure skater Donovan Carrillo brought a little bit of Juanga to Japan. While competing at the 2016 International Skating Union Junior Grand Prix, Donovan skated to “Hasta Que te Conocí.” An instrumental version of the song first played as Carrillo gracefully skated across the ice.
But as the song picked up, Donovan’s routine became livelier. Just before Juanga sings the words “Hasta Que te Conocí,” Donovan mimics the late singer by taking a sip of an imaginary glass of wine. He folded in some of Juanga’s most recognizable dance moves into his performance.
The young skater made a few missteps, but he chose a song that let him show many sides of his personality. All of this helped him reach a total score of 102.04 – his personal best. According to CNN en Español, he placed third in the overall competition. Hopefully other figure skaters are taking notes, because obviously Juanga makes you better at this sport. Check out the entire performance above.
September 13, 7:10 p.m.: While some flooded Donovan’s social media pages with praise, others sent him homophobic comments. He took the time to denounce those who used gay as an insult, and he stood in solidarity with the LGBTQ community, according to BuzzFeed. Check out some of his comments below: