 |
Valdes, Maria Fernanda
|
| NOC |
Chile
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born | 17 Mar 1992
in Coquimbo, CHI |
| Height | 1.61 m |
|
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|
Sport Specific Information |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
She took up the sport at age 13 in La Serena, Chile. |
General Interest |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"For me, the medals are not that important. I think that all the work and all the people involved behind it has much more value. Once I get a medal, and after the photos, I forget about it and start a new process." (Chilevision YouTube channel, 06 Mar 2020) |
| Injuries |
She sustained a shoulder injury while competing at the 2019 World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, and had to undergo surgery in October 2019. She was unable to train for six months as she recovered. (diarioeldia.cl, 20 Apr 2020; Chilevision YouTube channel, 06 Mar 2020)
In January 2012 she fractured her ankle, which sidelined her for a few months and also affected her performance at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (huffingtonpost.com, 03 Aug 2012) |
| Other information |
CHANGE OF CATEGORY
After her seventh-place finish at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she decided to switch from the 75kg category to the 90kg category. She believed the change would give her more of an opportunity to win a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "[In Rio] I made several mistakes and many of them were my fault, so I needed a change. Gaining 10kg to change category is a big challenge, but my coach told me I had to try. At the beginning, I had bad moments, but now I feel really confident." (teamchile.org, 12 May 2017) |
Further Personal Information |
| Residence |
Santiago, CHI |
| Occupation |
Athlete, Student |
| Languages |
Spanish |
| Family |
Husband Jorge Avalos Gonzalez |
| Higher education |
Civil Engineering - Andres Bello University: Santiago, CHI |
General Interest |
| Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2017 Pan American Championships in Miami, FL, United States of America, and receiving the Chilean National Sports Award in 2017. (ahoranoticias.cl, 04 Oct 2018; elobservatodo.cl, 27 Jul 2017) |
| Ambitions |
To win a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (panamsports.org, 08 Mar 2021) |
| Awards and honours |
She received the 2017 National Sports Award from the government of Chile. (ahoranoticias.cl, 04 Oct 2018)
She was named Chile's flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the 2018 South American Games in Cochabamba, Bolivia. (iwf.net, 18 May 2018)
In 2017 she was presented with the 'Best of the Best' award by the Chilean Olympic Committee and the Circle of Sports Journalists. (iwf.net, 08 Jan 2018) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Name of coach |
Giorgi Panchev [national], BUL |
| Why this sport? |
Her father signed her up at a gym and she became interested in lifting weights. One of the coaches then invited her to try the sport. "I spent four months lifting a broomstick to learn the proper technique. It was very boring. The first time I lifted weight was during a competition and that was when I fell in love with the sport." |
| Training Regime |
She trains for six hours a day. |
General Interest |
| Famous relatives |
Her husband Jorge is a weightlifting coach. (Chilevision YouTube channel, 06 Mar 2020) |
| Milestones |
She became the first female weightlifter representing Chile to win a medal at the Pan American Games by claiming silver in the 75kg category at the 2011 Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Eight years later she became the first Chilean female weightlifter to claim gold when she triumphed in the 87kg category at the 2019 Games in Lima, Peru. (SportsDeskOnline, 21 May 2021) |
| | Olympic Games |
| 2016 |
7 |
75kg |
 Rio de Janeiro |
| 2012 |
6 |
75kg |
 London |
| | World Championships |
| 2023 |
4 |
87kg |
 Riyadh |
| 2023 |
8 |
87kg - Snatch |
Riyadh |
| 2023 |
4 |
87kg - Clean & Jerk |
Riyadh |
| 2019 |
4 |
87kg |
 Pattaya |
| 2019 |
5 |
87kg - Snatch |
Pattaya |
| 2019 |
4 |
87kg - Clean & Jerk |
Pattaya |
| 2018 |
4 |
87kg |
 Ashgabat |
| 2018 |
5 |
87kg - Snatch |
Ashgabat |
| 2018 |
3 |
87kg - Clean & Jerk |
Ashgabat |
| 2017 |
2 |
90kg |
 Anaheim, CA |
| 2017 |
4 |
90kg - Snatch |
Anaheim, CA |
| 2017 |
1 |
90kg - Clean & Jerk |
Anaheim, CA |
| 2015 |
9 |
75kg |
Houston, TX |
| 2015 |
8 |
75kg - Snatch |
Houston, TX |
| 2015 |
9 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Houston, TX |
| 2014 |
13 |
75kg |
 Almaty |
| 2014 |
17 |
75kg - Snatch |
Almaty |
| 2014 |
13 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Almaty |
| | South American Championships |
| 2017 |
1 |
90kg |
 Santa Marta |
| 2017 |
2 |
90kg - Snatch |
Santa Marta |
| 2017 |
1 |
90kg - Clean & Jerk |
Santa Marta |
| 2016 |
1 |
75kg |
Rio de Janeiro |
| 2016 |
1 |
75kg - Snatch |
Rio de Janeiro |
| 2016 |
3 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Rio de Janeiro |
| 2013 |
4 |
75kg |
 Chiclayo |
| 2013 |
5 |
75kg - Snatch |
Chiclayo |
| 2013 |
2 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Chiclayo |
| | Pan American Games |
| 2023 |
9 |
81kg |
 Santiago |
| 2019 |
1 |
87kg |
Lima |
| 2015 |
2 |
75kg |
 Toronto, ON |
| 2011 |
2 |
75kg |
 Guadalajara |
| | Pan American Championships |
| 2024 |
4 |
87kg |
 Caracas |
| 2024 |
4 |
87kg - Snatch |
Caracas |
| 2024 |
4 |
87kg - Clean & Jerk |
Caracas |
| 2023 |
7 |
+87kg |
 San Carlos de Bariloche |
| 2023 |
7 |
+87kg - Snatch |
San Carlos de Bariloche |
| 2023 |
9 |
+87kg - Clean & Jerk |
San Carlos de Bariloche |
| 2020 |
6 |
87kg |
 Santo Domingo |
| 2020 |
8 |
87kg - Snatch |
Santo Domingo |
| 2020 |
6 |
87kg - Clean & Jerk |
Santo Domingo |
| 2019 |
2 |
87kg |
 Guatemala City |
| 2019 |
2 |
87kg - Snatch |
Guatemala City |
| 2019 |
1 |
87kg - Clean & Jerk |
Guatemala City |
| 2018 |
2 |
90kg |
Santo Domingo |
| 2018 |
2 |
90kg - Snatch |
Santo Domingo |
| 2018 |
1 |
90kg - Clean & Jerk |
Santo Domingo |
| 2017 |
1 |
90kg |
Miami, FL |
| 2017 |
2 |
90kg - Snatch |
Miami, FL |
| 2017 |
1 |
90kg - Clean & Jerk |
Miami, FL |
| 2016 |
1 |
75kg |
Cartagena |
| 2016 |
2 |
75kg - Snatch |
Cartagena |
| 2016 |
1 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Cartagena |
| 2014 |
4 |
75kg |
Santo Domingo |
| 2014 |
3 |
75kg - Snatch |
Santo Domingo |
| 2014 |
4 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Santo Domingo |
| 2013 |
3 |
75kg |
|
| 2013 |
4 |
75kg - Snatch |
|
| 2013 |
4 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
|
| 2012 |
2 |
75kg |
Antigua Guatemala |
| 2012 |
1 |
75kg - Snatch |
Antigua Guatemala |
| 2012 |
2 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Antigua Guatemala |
| 2010 |
5 |
75kg |
Guatemala City |
| 2010 |
7 |
75kg - Snatch |
Guatemala City |
| 2010 |
6 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Guatemala City |
| 2009 |
7 |
75kg |
Chicago, IL |
| 2009 |
9 |
75kg - Snatch |
Chicago, IL |
| 2009 |
8 |
75kg - Clean & Jerk |
Chicago, IL |
| 2008 |
4 |
69kg |
Callao |
| 2008 |
5 |
69kg - Snatch |
Callao |
| 2008 |
5 |
69kg - Clean & Jerk |
Callao |
| | IWF Grand Prix |
| 2024 |
21 |
81kg |
Phuket |
| 2024 |
23 |
81kg - Snatch |
Phuket |
| 2024 |
22 |
81kg - Clean & Jerk |
Phuket |
| 2019 |
|
87kg |
Lima |
| 2019 |
|
87kg - Snatch |
Lima |
| 2019 |
|
87kg - Clean & Jerk |
Lima |
| |
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