Hundreds of students gathered to participate in the Integration Day organized by the Virginio Gómez Professional Institute, in order to start the new academic year in its three locations – Concepción, Chillán and Los Ángeles – which on this occasion featured the participation of the outstanding national gymnast Tomás González, who in a relaxed dynamic shared with the attendees his story of successes and failures that took him to the top of the country’s sport.
With an extensive career that led him to become the first Chilean gymnast to qualify for the Olympic Games (London 2012) and many medals in his career, González emphasized the work behind each achievement and the importance of planning for an objective. . “I believe that it is basic to have a purpose and, based on that, to be able to organize in the short, medium and long term the goals that one wants to achieve, but to remain very focused on the present and always remain calm,” he commented.
Likewise, he stated that when starting any new venture there is always uncertainty. “You don’t know what is going to happen, but I believe that you have to take risks, have confidence, that if there are failures they also serve personal and professional growth. In my case, the moments of victories or medals are much less than the defeats, and obviously they are worth much more, but that is life in the end, there are always problems, complex situations. There is no need to be afraid, it is just part of the learning process,” he stated.
For her part, the rector of the IPVG, Claudia Mora Méndez, valued the presence of the high-performance athlete and his way of connecting with the students. “Starting the academic year with a series of sports activities seems like an excellent way of integration, especially for the more than 3,800 new students entering their first year at the Institute. To this end, Tomás’ career is a great example because he began working from a very young age to become the legend he is today, and that coincides with our institutional values of commitment and quality,” she emphasized.
It should be noted that IP Virginio Gómez teaches the Higher Level Technical Sports Trainer course, which began to be taught a year ago. “This particular specialty strengthens the spirit of this institute, which is to offer careers that contribute to society and train people who contribute to the sustainable development of the country,” commented Adelio Matamala Vásquez, vice-rector of the Institution.
– How was your experience as a commentator at the 2023 Pan American Games?
-It was incredible. It was like having our own Olympic Games at home. A new generation of gymnasts is coming in the men’s branch, in the case of the women’s I think there is a lack of an important replacement, but even so they did a good performance and it was known that a medal in gymnastics would be difficult, but let’s hope from now on The next games will have a gymnast fighting for a medal for our country.
– In that sense, what does Team Chile’s projection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games look like?
-Well, I believe that there are sports that have a greater probability of getting into the finals, of qualifying. Gymnastics in this version of the games does not have qualifiers, but we do have one who is in reserve, which is Joel Álvarez, a gymnast from the fourth region, who would be waiting to be called if a quota from America is released.
– What is your experience like as a trainer of athletes at your academy?
-Super happy with my school, our goal of training people through sports I think is super important and in that sense at the regional level there must be a sum of many factors. On the one hand, regional governments can help a lot in some sports. In the case of gymnastics, it is a sport that is a little expensive due to the infrastructure, so the more we organize to support the sport, we will also have better results. For now, I am happy with my school in Santiago and also happy to be able to contribute, on this occasion, with this motivational talk. It is also another way in which I am developing to be able to inspire students and future professionals at the institute.
– What is the message you would like to convey to students in these talks?
-I spent 20 years preparing to reach the Olympic Games and even so, along the way there are always ups and downs and I try to inspire them and call them to motivate themselves, to set goals, to not wait for ready-made solutions to arrive, but to They work to obtain new solutions, that they open their own path and have the confidence and conviction that we are all agents of change, in one way or another, and take charge of that for the achievements they want to achieve. Empower them in that sense.
