Daniela Macias, Olympian and former badminton player from Peru, currently works as a financial analyst at a local bank and recognizes that everything she has achieved in her life has been thanks to what badminton has allowed her to live, learn and face.
Within the framework of International Women’s Day, Badminton Pan Am celebrates outstanding women in our sport through interviews throughout the month of March: The Pan Am Women’s Month.
“I think that everything I am today has been given to me by sport, everything. But I think the most important thing that sports gave me was the different values that one ends up cultivating through sport, and one that has always defined me at different stages of my life is resilience. Sport teaches you that there are bad days, situations that you cannot control, frustrations, stress, a lot of pressure, but all of this, in the end, ends up building an internal strength of wanting to overcome it, be better every day and improve yourself more and more. I have experienced many difficult situations with sport, personal life also influences, and it was frustrating when I did not achieve certain things despite having worked hard for it. This is how sport taught me. I have achieved many things, I have not been able to achieve others, but all of this has been adding up to the ultimate goal, which was to qualify for the Olympic Games.”
The objectives mark the plan to follow, define the steps and help to draw a path. There will be short, medium, or long-term goals, but finally each of them will lead you to make an effort and persist in order to achieve them. Daniela followed that path, and although her main objective was not easy, her small steps helped her achieve that dream that she so longed for.
“I think I’ve had a lot of results that I’m very proud of. But there is one that has always been my goal since I started in 2007, inspired by the fact that my mom achieved it and I also wanted to achieve it. 14 years later I managed to compete in the Olympic Games (Tokyo 2020-2021). Before that I had to set myself several short- and medium-term goals, in order to achieve that goal, which was not easy but it has been the best I have ever had.”
Macias qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after much effort and sacrifice during her sports career. Now 25 years old, she looks back on her beginnings in badminton when she was just a kid with a lot of enthusiasm to learn new things.
“My family was always super sporty. My dad always did various sports, and my mom did swimming and qualified for the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. So, my brothers and I started swimming from a very young age. Every summer, we spent the day at Club Regatas and before swimming training, we would go with our friends to try different sports. That was very funny. This is how I went through various sports such as gymnastics, synchronized swimming, sailing, etc. One day I was encouraged to try badminton and I loved it. During the year I trained swimming and gymnastics, but I went twice a week to train badminton and so, little by little, they called me for the pre-selection called ‘talents’ and I loved it. When I was 9 years old, we received an invitation from the Peruvian federation to compete at the Pan Am Junior in Puerto Vallarta 2007, we accepted, and I became the Pan Am Junior Champion. That’s when I said ‘this is my sport’ and withdrew from all the others.”
While training, Daniela continued her studies in Business Administration at the University and, despite the difficult times due to the competitions, she always sought to fulfill everything she set out to do, emphasizing her responsibility and perseverance to meet her goals. Now, being a professional in a filed unrelated to sports, Macias highlights each of the opportunities that being a high-performance athlete offered her, but, above all, she treasures what sport formed in her and what has shone in her current professional life.
“I am a financial analyst in the commercial area of a bank. It has nothing directly to do with sport, but there is something that I always highlight and that is that thanks to everything that sport has given me, I have been able to see different opportunities and have open doors for my professional development. I think that sport shaped me, I would not be the person I am today if it had not been for badminton. Sport cultivates many values and that has helped me get ahead and fight for what I want. I’ve always wanted to work in something related with finance, and I’ve been through several job interviews, persisting until I get it. And I think that is where the relationship between my life as an athlete and my current occupation is reflected.”
The difficulties that arose along the way, the various challenges, and the moments of big sacrifice, could be channeled as motivation to keep going, stand out and be better each time.
“All the difficulties that life presents you must be taken as a means that encourages you to be stronger, to want to achieve even more, and to want to show that things can be achieved. I faced many challenges. Not only physically, since the training sessions were intense, but also mentally. That made me grow as a strong person, who fights for what I want, who does not give up easily. “
Undoubtedly, the influence of her family was fundamental in her personal and sporting development, but also the influence of her teammates and coaches allowed her to persist in every situation and value every moment to continue fighting for her dreams.
“I mainly thank my parents because if they had not been the great athletes they were and had not instilled sport in us as children, I would not be here. They have always inspired me to want to improve myself, be constant and give more and more. I thank Danica (Nishimura), my lifelong doubles partner, who accompanied me for many years in various championships, she was a super support for me. I also thank my coaches, who marked my sporting life and thanks to them I was able to achieve various things.”
