BY FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ
One of the most popular reality television shows in Mexico is “Exatlón,” a sports-related competition, that airs from Monday to Thursday with the elimination round on Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on the Azteca Uno channel. Recently selected to be on the show is a superb athlete from the Southern Baja California State Capitol of La Paz, Baja, who has played catcher for the Mexican National Softball Team, Thalía Villavicencio.
Her debut appearance can be seen on the official YouTube channel of Exatlón México, which is entitled chapter 61 part 1 “The Reinforcements in the Land of Exatlón.” Thalía Villavicencio has just turned 32-years-old and recently traveled to the Dominican Republic beaches where the famous sports reality show is filmed.
During her storied softball and American fastpitch baseball career, Villavicencio competed with the National Team at two World Cups, one in the Dominican Republic and the other in Aguascalientes. The sport is in her blood as her father was a catcher and her mother was an athlete as well. Besides her parents, Thalía’s uncles also played major league-style baseball throughout their young and adult lives.
At 8-years-old, Thalía was encouraged by her mother to get started in athletics and from the very beginning, baseball caught her attention. Since then, she has been known as a tireless warrior. This life-long commitment to sports led Villavicencio to study physical education at the university.
In 2017, Thalía started the Mexican Baseball League for women and at 28 years old she fulfilled a great dream she always had about sharing her love for baseball and softball. Her being the first member from Baja California Sur on the very first Women’s National Softball Team in Mexico has been a great source of pride for the people in La Paz.
Thalía has been a fan of the show and has always wanted to see a baseball player on reality TV. She definitely has her sights set on helping her ”blue” team win on ”Exatlón México” and hopefully show that women who play baseball should be considered as very formidable athletes.
After the show premiered on October 16, 2017, hosted by sports analyst Antonio Rosique, it featured 20 participants divided into two teams of 10. The contestants have to compete in a variety of physical and mental tests to win the prize of two million pesos ($96,000 USD). Although recorded on the beaches of the Dominican Republic, instead of on any one of the more than 200 beaches in Mexico, the very popular show has millions of viewers. Zudikey Rodríguez, a former National Women’s track & field star has also been on the show and appeared in 292 episodes.
