Jovana De la Cruz says, "The first time I won a competition, I received a basket full of groceries. I was very excited and motivated, and so were my parents because during that time we didn't have the financial stability we have today."
Jovana says she always liked sports. Her passion for athletics led her to decide that she would run first and then think about further studies. "When I finished high school, I had already planned which competitions I would participate in. But it didn't go as I wanted, and at one point my parents told me, 'you can't live off athletics forever', and I started preparing in an academy," says the 25-year-old.
Jovana was distressed by the idea of going to a pre-university academy. She didn't like it. She wanted to train and run. Her place was on the track, on the asphalt. After two months of being away from sports, she returned. Gradually, she gained experience and her performance improved significantly. She participated in various national championships, including Cross Country. Later, in 2011, she qualified for the Pan American Games in Guadalajara. She was pregnant, but that would not be an impediment to continuing her training; an injury would be.
She injured her knee and stopped training. When her daughter Nayara was born, she had a strong desire to return to her life as an athlete. But she couldn't, her stomach hurt. "Two months passed and I couldn't train, three, four, five. I was desperate, I wanted to run at all costs. When my daughter was nearly 7 months old, I said I have to run even if it hurts. And I started using a belt to endure the pain." Nothing would stop her, she would continue fighting for her dreams. And it was worth it because 5 months later, she finished second in a 10k race sponsored by ADIDAS, which motivated her even more.
Training for 3 to 4 hours in the mornings and afternoons. Every day. An athlete gets tired and when they get home, they look for rest. Jovana knows this very well, that's why she says that many times she feels more like an athlete than a mother. "There are no vacations. Sometimes I think and feel like I'm not fulfilling my role as a mother, that I'm not fully present for my daughter. I don't play, I don't take her out for walks, there are many things I question, but I say it has to be worth it what I do. In large part, what I do is for her, for my family, and I know that someday I will achieve what I'm seeking and it will be worth it."
Jovana De la Cruz represented Peru in the 2016 Olympic Games, and recently finished in third place in the Entel 10k race held in November 2017. The athlete is from Huancavelica, but she has lived and trained in Huancayo since she was 10 years old. "Running has become a part of me. I feel better when I do it than when I don't train. I even think that I can overcome tiredness by running."