Humberto Contreras, one of Mexico’s best figure skaters of the last decade, has announced his retirement from competitive figure skating.

“Today, I’m officially announcing my retirement from competitive figure skating,” Contreras said in his statement. “I would like to take this moment to express my gratitude to the many people who have helped me throughout my skating career. Today is a very important chapter in my life is coming to a close. I will remain in the skating world as a coach and mentor to new generations of skaters, and I will continue to skate professionally in skating shows around the world. I will miss the competitions and the excitement, but I’m ready to share my dream with future passionate and talented figure skaters.”

Contreras has skated for 14 years and has been on the national team for 12 consecutive years, representing Mexico in 17 international events and two World championships. He will now focus on giving back to new generations of skaters through coaching, where he will draw from his expertise gained through years of competing at the world level.

“For me it’s a dream come true to retire at this moment because I always wanted to retire as Mexican National Champion; and what an amazing experience it was to finish my career competing at the World Figure Skating Championships in Torino, Italy in March of 2010.”

“First, I would like to thank my family immensely for their unwavering support for so many years. Without them, none of my success would have been possible. I would also like to thank my coach Elvis Stojko for all of his support and for everything he has taught me to help me become the best skater I can be. I would like to thank my choreographer Roselle Soussana-Doyle for all of her time and dedication in creating my programs. Her work reminds me of why I love this sport. And finally, thank you to all of my friends and fans around the world for being there and supporting me for my whole career.”

Photo from Humberto Contreras