How do you explain that, while still underage, you are already league and European club champion (Palau), and continental champion and world runner-up, with Spain?
In the end it is the result of many hours of training and sacrifice by me and my parents. I was clear from childhood, where I wanted to be. When I started playing hockey I liked it very much. People laughed at me, but I always wanted to be world champion. I already had this dream when I was 4 or 5 years old and I have been developing it. I want to be a reference for boys and girls who choose this sport. I have time to continue expanding the list of achievements. I won the European Championship when I was 14 and I didn’t play much. And I’m runner-up in the world, but I want to be champion.
What does he gain, with hockey?
It has helped me grow personally. To have good foundations as a person, such as constancy and perseverance, knowing that something always has to be given in return. I’m here because I’ve sacrificed things, mostly time with friends and family, doing the normal life of a teenager. I haven’t been able to go out partying because I’ve been busy with matches and training. Or for example, I had to leave home very young, at 15 or 16 years old, to go to Vila-sana (Lleida) where I now play and study second year high school. It is a very small town where futsal and hockey are the reference sports.
Did they support you at home?
They have always helped me, they have let me decide, within common sense I have always been able to choose. I owe them an estic. They signed me up for hockey, they took me to training when I played in Palau, and they have always been by my side.
Can a woman be a hockey professional today in Spain?
You earn something, you have a small salary, but it is very complicated to be a professional. Maybe in a few clubs you can make a living from that, but you can’t dedicate yourself to it at the outset, you have to do something else. It is fortunate that other sports that have more followers such as football or basketball have been normalizing the role of women, so that this wave can also reach the world of hockey.
How do you combine studies with sports practice?
It’s complicated, especially during exam time. It’s hard to keep up with everything on a fixed schedule. You’re only home for a short time and you have to make the most of it, when you’re there.
Why did you choose hockey?
I started playing hockey when I was four but I also did swimming and orienteering. In the end, when I was forced to choose because matches coincided with races, or with pool times, I chose what I liked best.
Is Laia Vives your reference?
I met her when I was starting to get into hockey more deeply. He trained me in the national team of Girona. I was following her and I was very excited. But I really like motorbikes and I’m a fan of Marc Márquez, too, and if I have to choose a hockey goalie, I choose Xavi Malian, from Porto.
What do her classmates say?
At first it shocks, because there are not too many elite athletes, it must not be common to find them in the class. It shocks, but classmates and teachers eventually get used to it. When the call for Spain came out, the whole school celebrated it, even though I was there, and we had a party in class. Sometimes my classmates come to see me.
Is playing the European Championship at home an extra motivation?
Yes, it always is. Maybe that can also make you more nervous, but I don’t take it that way. It’s a good way for people who have seen me grow up to see how far I’ve come. The family will be in Olot these days, and friends are also looking to make themselves feel welcome.
What do they expect? Is Spain the big favorite for the title?
A lot of people see us as favorites but we don’t take it that way. Portugal Italy are strong rivals and they can end up surprising you. We will win, as we do in all championships.
2023-11-29 05:30:58
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