The young athlete achieved fourth place, improving her mark and fighting for the bronze medal. She received the support of her hometown Los Sauces and Cautín.
“Since I was a child, I did everything running: going shopping, running errands, or anything they asked me to do. Running was my natural way of moving and feeling free,” says Tamara Villegas, the young athlete from the commune of Los Sauces, who is 20 years old and has already accumulated several national and international triumphs, and who on Monday, August 18, ran the ten thousand meters at the Pan American Games in Asunción in Paraguay, achieving the fourth place, improving her mark.
At what age and how did you start practicing the discipline?
I started at 15 years old, almost by chance, while playing a basketball game. That day I was invited to train at the Nahuelbuta Athletic Club in the city of Angol, and it was the starting point of my history in athletics. In addition, I always had the need to have a personal goal, to seek to stand out on my own merits. And I discovered that athletics offered me just that: a space where my effort, my perseverance and my desire could shine on their own.
What have been the sporting instances in which you have participated?
My first big milestone was becoming a national champion in the 5,000-meter dash in cross country and then winning national medals in the 10-kilometer road race. From there, the international challenges arrived: the South American Cross Country Championship, and the Binational Games of the Araucanía, held in Argentina, where I managed to be crowned binational champion in 3,000, 1,500 and 5 kilometers in street. Today I am fulfilling one of my most important dreams: to qualify for the Pan American Games by completing 10,000 meters.
What has been the most relevant experience for you and why?
One of my most significant experiences has been representing Chile in international competitions. It’s not only a physical challenge, but also a mental one: measuring oneself against foreign opponents, learning to control anxiety and staying focused in moments of maximum pressure. The most challenging, and at the same time the most enriching experience has been facing the adult category while still being under 23, and still managing to run on an equal footing, showing that age does not define the level, but the work and preparation.
What have been the biggest difficulties you have faced?
One of the biggest difficulties has been to make my university studies compatible with high sports performance. It means getting up every day, without exception, at 6 a.m. to train, spending the whole day at the university, and then leaving often at 5 or 7 p.m. to train again. It is really living to train from dawn to dusk.
Another great challenge was leaving my home and changing the routine I was used to in my city. Being away from my family and my commune, training in new places, adapting to different climates, rivers and terrains, and facing loneliness in moments of preparation forced myself to be stronger, harder and colder, learning to manage my emotions while continuing to pursue my dreams.
How did you receive Cautín’s support and do you think it is relevant for companies to support athletes?
I think it is very important that companies support athletes. This support not only gives us tools and resources to improve our performance, but it also motivates us to keep going, allows us to focus on sporting goals and represents a recognition of the effort and dedication involved in building a high-level career.
The support I received from Cautín included sports implements, fundamental for better performance in the Pan American Games, ensuring that every training and race is used to the fullest. This kind of support not only improves my performance, but it reflects the confidence they have in me and my sports career as well.
