WILLEMSTAD - Jonathan Lourens (27) is the first and so far, only professional figure skater from Curaçao, AT5 reports. On the website of the Amsterdam city broadcaster, Jonathan tells how he ended up on the ice from a tropical island.
His love for figure skating is great, although he thinks there is still a lot to be gained in the sport when it comes to diversity.
Jonathan was born on Curaçao and grew up with a lot of dance and music from the Antillean culture. He dances salsa, bachata, ritmo kombina and started tap dancing when he was nine.
Remarkably, Jonathan's first skating experience was in Curaçao, when a temporary fake skating rink was built.
At the age of 16 he moved to the Netherlands for his studies. In his quest for a challenging sport in addition to studying, his passion for dancing and entertainment led him to choose figure skating.