Barbara Hernandez: A Chilean Swimmer’s Journey to Success in Icy Waters

2023-11-07 21:42:04

Published on November 7, 2023 10:42 p.m. / Modified on November 7, 2023 11:24 p.m.

Every day, from Monday to Saturday, from 6 a.m., Barbara Hernandez (37 years old) completes her laps in the swimming pool of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, located in Santiago, just at the foot of the Andes mountain range. Nothing deviates from this routine. The Chilean swimmer, a specialist in swimming in icy waters, “is one of the best in this discipline,” says Gabriel Torres Galaz, her coach for almost thirty years. Standing at the edge of the pool, his stopwatch hanging around his neck, he meticulously notes the times she achieves. “Barbara has never been among the fastest, nor the most talented, but she stands out for her perseverance, a fundamental quality for swimming in frozen waters.”

Born in the Chilean capital, Barbara comes from a humble family. As a little girl, she discovered the ocean: “My parents made a lot of effort to take me even for two days to the sea,” she remembers, her bangs and long black hair framing her broad smile. . For me, it was a huge privilege. I then took the opportunity to spend the whole day in the water. That’s where I felt this connection with the ocean.” The cold of the Pacific, the wind, the gray sky, and her mother waiting for her on the beach with a bath towel to warm her, are childhood memories that she cherishes and which determined the rest of her journey . When her parents offered her the opportunity to practice the sport of her choice, it was only natural that she turned to swimming. “The majority of swimmers were boys, there were very few girls,” she says. And I think that helped me find the strength within myself to realize that I was just as capable as them. Certainly, I was not the fastest but the most enduring. Despite everything, she struggles during competitions and feels cramped in swimming pools. At 17, the swimmer realized her dream and participated in her first open water competition in Valdivia, in the south of Chile, thus reconnecting with the sensations of her childhood. Barbara becomes the first woman to win this race and slips a gold medal around her neck, far from being the last.

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