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Leading by example and having sporting merits made Thalía Mallqui one of Lima 2019 Ambassador. Besides following the Olympic and Paralympic values, she is one of Peru’s main aces for a medal in Wrestling.
The wrestler trains 4 hours a day, Monday through Friday, to achieve her goal. Last year’s shoulder injury is now forgotten. “It’s a non-stop training, when you are a high-performance athlete there is no rest. You need the mindset to train hard for the event,” commented Thalía.
A real Ambassador
Just over a year ago she was asked to be a Lima 2019 Ambassador. It was a great honor and responsibility, which she was very happy to take “because it is important to consider wrestling so people know about this sport. Besides, a woman representing wrestling? I think it’s spectacular.”
“When people ask me what sport I practice, they are always surprised to hear that I am a wrestler. They think only men practice this sport,” explains Thalia, who stresses that this sport is her passion.
Her husband Abel Herrera, another wrestler, will also be present in Lima 2019. Together they have a 10-year-old boy, who already is beginning his path in the wrestling world. “I'm so glad he enjoys it and I’m there to support him, just like my parents supported me, because I know how hard it is to be a high-level athlete. He will need to work hard to be a great athlete.”
A wrestling match can last 6 minutes, according to the rules, but it can also end before by technicality or if one of the parts pins the other. Thalía will compete in the 60kg event. She knows that anything can happen in a match and said that “we all train to win a medal and to see the result of your workouts on the mat. I train focused only on how much I want that medal and I'm sure that's going workout.”
She has recently been in Colombia at a training camp and participated in the Copa Colombia, obtaining the gold medal. “They wanted to keep us focused, because all the members of the women's team are mothers, and this was our chance to compete and I won gold.”
She will be traveling to Spain before the Games, where she will be joining the men’s team. “There, we’ll follow another kind of training. It helps to see your performance on a match and to control your nerves, so we can keep improving.” Training and competing are two very different things.”
Callao’s Spirit
Thalía currently lives in Villa El Salvador, but she will go back to her home, Callao, where the competitions will take place.
“I've lived there my entire life, competing there it’s amazing because it's my home and I hope to see my neighbors, who have seen me compete since I was a child and I hope to feel their encouragement.”
She missed the gold in Toronto, only obtaining silver. Now at home, Thalia longs for gold. “Buy your tickets because we want to fill the coliseum and hear all the Callao people cheering,” she concluded.
Wrestling competitions will take place on the 7 and 8 August, located at Callao’s Regional Sports Center.
