Javiera Muñoz came from Linares to contribute all his talent and camaraderie

Basketball is already a part of his life. At 23 years old and in the fifth year of psychology at the U. del Desarrollo, the young Javiera Muñoz stands as a key part of a team that, beyond competing in Adesup, enjoys the good vibes, camaraderie and union of the group of players that was armed. Under the technical direction of Patricio Briones, Javiera is getting ready to live his last year as a student-athlete in 2022.

So it started

The beginnings were far from Concepción. Javiera was born and raised in Linares and she is the one who explains the reasons why she leaned toward basketball over other sports. “Together with my twin sister (Francisca) we have a cousin who when we were girls was our great example to follow. And since she played basketball, we went to a workshop at school. For Maule we always competed being in first or second place. In 2012 we went to a National and in the competitions that existed, they put us into whatever sport it was, because we still performed well and had to fill quotas. My mother accompanied us to all the games at school, I remember that they always started with a stand where they sold drinks and sweets for the children, and she was always there. Receiving support from a young age is essential to perform well in sports and to be able to perform in other areas as well, “he said.

College break

In 2017, Javiera entered the UDD to study psychology, a career that is very close to ending. “I’m already doing my practice. It hurt me to finish this year and not play again, but recently I found out that I will be able to continue one more season and that made me very happy, “he says, adding that” when I arrived in Concepción, one of the first things I did was get into the basketball team, but I got away quickly because it wasn’t what I wanted, there were fights on the team and there wasn’t that beautiful feeling of playing to have fun and clear up. Only in recent years did I get motivated again, because from 3rd and 4th a better team was formed that now has a good time and will enjoy every game. The other day, for example, we were losing against the USS by many points, but at halftime we decided to learn from mistakes, have fun on the pitch and enjoy, if we were facing a superior team, with scholarships and that trains all the players. days. Here, unlike the school where I had benefits to train and get out of some classes, I have to prioritize studying over training sessions or tournaments and it’s a bit disappointing ”.

Keep growing

Javiera appreciates each of the experiences she has had in her sports career. “For me, sport is everything. I formed very great bonds in the school stage, I have traveled a lot and I meet people thanks to basketball. I already have 100 medals, since I played in school, I highlight those of the Julio Vergara mini championship in Talcahuano, plus the regional and national ones. At UDD we are living a very nice stage now with Patricio Briones as coach, since he has another way of looking at basketball and of forming teams. Last year, more than training, we got together to share as a team through Zoom or Teams. That goes a long way to be united as a group. The message is that, to continue together and that the sport in the university serves for us to form friendships ”, affirms Javiera.

And he does not forget those who are always by his side: his family. In Concepcion it is Francisca, his twin sister, with whom he complements himself so that the distance with his family from Linares is not so noticeable. His mother Ema, his father Luis and his brother Sebastián, are also a more than fundamental piece for the success that Javiera adds in the Biobío, from the academic and sports aspects.

Until 2022 he will continue to play for a UDD basketball team, where he carries nothing more and nothing less than the captain’s jinete. “Before I was super pillory, I would get angry in training and leave, but now I have a different role and I cannot be fighting or arguing about things that are not worth it. When I see a colleague who is not well, I try to apply my psychological side that I have learned by studying, ”he says. And about his cousin whom they had as an example to follow with his sister, Javiera sentenced with laughter that “we surpassed her.”