Oax Sport Thursdays: Shunca Biani on CONADE, Sprinting, and Mental Preparation

Original language: Spanish (radio segment on Tribu al Extremo, 106.1 FM).

By Juan Zurita Victoria, MBA
Oax Sport. Athlete Support and Programs.

Report also available in Spanish and French.

This blog series

Every Thursday, I host “Jueves de Oax Sport” on Tribu al Extremo. Here, I turn each episode into text so you can read fast, save the key facts, and understand how athlete support works in Oaxaca. In every post you will find: episode details, the week’s focus, and the interview organized by theme.

Previous posts in this series:
Episode 0: Segment launch
Episode 1: Jasmín Carolina Cruz
Episode 2: Emily Sofía Barrera

Episode details

• Host and text: Juan Zurita Victoria
• Guest athlete: Shunca Biani Moya Santiago
• Team: Titanes Sport Clinic
• Coach: Uber Clain Herrera Aquino
• Show: Tribu al Extremo (Grupo FM Radios). 106.1 FM
• Segment: Jueves de Oax Sport
• Air date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
• Focus: sprinting, CONADE, regional qualification, sport psychology, injuries, sponsorships, and student-athlete life
• Listen live: every Thursday, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Oaxaca time

Focus of the week

This episode focused on a sprinter from Oaxaca who had just qualified for the CONADE regional stage after competing in the 100 meters and 200 meters.

The conversation showed something that people often miss from the outside. A sprint lasts only a few seconds, but behind it there are years of training, mental work, recovery, strength, family support, coaching, physiotherapy, and outside support.

Program: Jueves de Oax Sport
What we highlighted: Shunca Biani Moya Santiago’s regional qualification in sprint events
Team: Titanes Sport Clinic
Need discussed in the episode: more support, sponsorship, and resources to compete outside Oaxaca

Result

• Event: state stage on the road to CONADE
• Events discussed: 100 meters and 200 meters
• Result shared on air: Shunca won her events and qualified for the regional stage
• Performance note: Shunca said she ran a PB, or personal best, in the 100-meter semifinal
• Next goal: compete at the regional stage in Tlaxcala and seek qualification for the national stage

30-second recap

• Shunca is 15 years old and started running when she was very young.
• She trains with Titanes Sport Clinic under coach Uber Clain Herrera Aquino.
• She qualified for the CONADE regional stage after competing in the 100 meters and 200 meters.
• She explained that pressure over the qualifying mark can feel stronger than pressure over placement.
• She spoke about working with a sport psychologist to manage nerves, anxiety, and visualization.
• She shared how Dr. Huerta has helped her with recovery, strength, complementary sessions, and injury prevention.
• She also spoke about sponsorships, limited support in Oaxaca, national goals, and her dream of reaching the Olympic Games.

Interview in text

Theme 1. Who Shunca is and how she started

Q (Juan): Tell us your name and a little about yourself. Where are you from, and who do you train with?

A (Shunca): My name is Shunca Biani Moya Santiago. I am from Oaxaca, and I train with Titanes, with coach Uber.

Q (Juan): How old are you, and when did you start track and field?

A (Shunca): I am 15 years old. I started when I was 3, and I have trained seriously with a team for about 8 years.

Q (Juan): How would you describe yourself outside track?

A (Shunca): Restless, I think.

Q (Juan): How did you discover track and field?

A (Shunca): My first competition was in the school events they organize in kindergarten. After that, every time there was a competition, I participated. A coach saw me, invited me to a team, and that is how I started.

Q (Juan): Do you remember your first competition?

A (Shunca): Yes. It was very spontaneous. I had to participate, and they were testing me to see if I could move to another phase or what events they should put me in. I ran in regular shoes, there were four of us, and I was very nervous.

Q (Juan): When did you start taking track more seriously?

A (Shunca): I think I liked winning a lot. I knew that to win, I had to suffer first. When they moved me to the older group, I started taking things more seriously. Before that, I went to play or have fun, but then I liked it and started taking it seriously.

Theme 2. Changing teams and preparing for the state stage

Q (Juan): You qualified for the CONADE regional stage. How did you prepare for the state stage?

A (Shunca): It was difficult. Every year is different and brings new experiences. I came from another process and had just joined a new team. I did well, but it was heavy because the strength part was hard for me. I felt like I was starting over.

Q (Juan): What was that team change like?

A (Shunca): It was sudden and difficult. I had thought about it for a long time, but I did not make the move because I was afraid.

Q (Juan): Did that change affect your competition?

A (Shunca): I had time to process it, and I think it had a very good impact. I learned new things and felt support from my new coach. That helped me process everything better and turn it into something positive.

Theme 3. Nerves, the starting gun, and the competitive mind

Q (Juan): What do you feel when you are in the blocks and hear the starting gun?

A (Shunca): It is very hard to describe. You start shaking, your heart beats very fast, and you breathe hard. You try to change your breathing and calm down. When the gun goes off, everything feels almost silent. You cannot tell voices apart. You only hear noise.

Q (Juan): How do you work on that mental side?

A (Shunca): I have a sport psychologist, Aralia. We have worked a lot, and she has helped me so much. I feel like I cannot compete without her. I have worked with her for one or two years, and I have adjusted very well to that work.

Q (Juan): What were you like before working with her?

A (Shunca): Before, I shook a lot. When I had many nerves, I got very cold. In every competition, when I got in the blocks, my arms and legs shook. Sometimes I wanted to cry because it felt frustrating not knowing how to control it. Since I started working with her, I have controlled it little by little.

Theme 4. Semifinal, final, and pressure over the mark

Q (Juan): How do you prepare for a semifinal and a final?

A (Shunca): With a good warmup. For the semifinal, the warmup is very long. For the final, you need to rest, drink water, eat, hydrate, stay out of the sun, and process what happened. If the semifinal goes badly and you get blocked in the final, you can lose the mark.

Q (Juan): How did this competition go for you?

A (Shunca): In the 100-meter semifinal, I did very well. I ran a personal best. In the final, my time went up a little and I got frustrated. The next day, I ran the 200-meter semifinal. It did not go the way I wanted, but I processed it, talked with my coach, watched videos, and reviewed what went wrong. In the final, I did much better than I expected.

Q (Juan): Did you ever think you might not win?

A (Shunca): No. I felt very sure of myself. I was not going for place. I was going for the mark. I wanted to improve for myself, not only win a prize.

Q (Juan): How do you prepare mentally for the 100 meters and the 200 meters?

A (Shunca): I do visualization with my psychologist and also by myself. I also prepare with music. I try not to think about negative things, but about confidence and happiness. I visualize my starts, my technique, how I will finish, and how I will celebrate.

Q (Juan): Which event do you prefer, the 100 meters or the 200 meters?

A (Shunca): I like the 100 more. I feel that I express myself better in it. I know it comes with pressure because if you do something wrong, you can lose, but I enjoy the 100 a lot. It is not that I dislike the 200, but I still have to learn how to run it better.

Theme 5. CONADE, regionals, nationals, and learning to lose

Q (Juan): How do you see the CONADE format when athletes need a qualifying mark?

A (Shunca): It is very hard and very stressful. You are always thinking about the mark. Even if you try to put it aside, it is still there. That makes athletes more stressed.

Q (Juan): What does qualifying for regionals mean to you?

A (Shunca): It is an achievement, but my goals do not end there. I know what I want, and I know I have to work hard to achieve it.

Q (Juan): How many times have you qualified for this stage?

A (Shunca): Three times. I have done CONADE for three years, and all three times I qualified.

Q (Juan): Do you feel pressure or motivation heading into regionals?

A (Shunca): At first, I felt pressure, but I think I can do it. I trust myself and my abilities. I have worked on it with my psychologist and my coach. I think I have everything I need to qualify for nationals again.

Q (Juan): What level do you expect to find at regionals in Tlaxcala?

A (Shunca): Now it is not by place, but by ranking. I feel that it is harder to qualify for nationals, but I think I can do it. I plan to qualify for nationals.

I explained on the show that this format requires looking at the best marks across regions. That can leave out athletes who win their region but do not enter the best overall times.

Q (Juan): Have you qualified for nationals before?

A (Shunca): Yes. I qualified in the two previous years. Maybe it did not go the way I expected, but I felt stuck, and now I left my comfort zone. This is my first year in U18, and I know I can do better.

Q (Juan): What was your first national competition like?

A (Shunca): It was an unforgettable experience. It was in Jalisco. I spent time with athletes from all over Mexico. The best athletes in the country were there. Before, I saw them as unreachable, but in the end, we are all athletes. We shared the track, dining area, and lodging. You could say hello to them and spend time with them.

Q (Juan): What does competing at nationals represent for you?

A (Shunca): It means a lot. It is not easy to get there. It was not easy for me. I had many defeats and lost many times. I know I will not always win, but if I like winning, I also have to accept that I need to lose in order to win.

Theme 6. Dr. Huerta, injuries, and complementary work

Q (Juan): What changed in your preparation after the state stage?

A (Shunca): I work with Dr. Huerta. Before the state stage, we did some analysis and saw things we had to modify. I have worked more on strength and more double sessions. Sometimes I train and then go with Dr. Huerta to work again, stretch, or do a regenerative session.

Q (Juan): When did you start going to Dr. Huerta?

A (Shunca): I started about a year or a year and a half ago. Before, I went to another physiotherapist. I had an injury and sprained my ankle. They sent me to a trauma specialist, and we decided to try working with Dr. Huerta.

Q (Juan): What do you do in those sessions?

A (Shunca): I do more strength, resistance bands, stretching, and different sessions depending on how I am doing. He has helped me recover very well from injuries, and I trust his work a lot.

Q (Juan): What has been the hardest moment in your athletic career?

A (Shunca): A knee injury, because my meniscus almost tore. I also had a hamstring injury. That one was very hard for me. I cried a lot, had to rest, and it was difficult, but I recovered well.

Theme 7. Sponsorships and support in Oaxaca

Q (Juan): How do you feel about having sponsors?

A (Shunca): I feel very good, very happy, and fortunate. Not everyone has those opportunities. Besides Dr. Huerta, a company from Jalisco called Agrotitanes sponsors me. Sometimes they send me shoes, and it makes me very excited to have people who believe in me.

Q (Juan): How do you see sponsorship for athletes or clubs in Oaxaca?

A (Shunca): I see it as very low. There are almost no sponsorships and very little support. Sometimes we are very limited, and we do not always have the resources to compete outside Oaxaca or attend more competitions for experience.

At Oax Sport, we see that problem often. Many times, individual support comes from people close to the athlete, such as physiotherapists, nutritionists, psychologists, or companies that decide to believe in a specific case. But broader support for travel, competition, and racing experience remains very difficult.

Theme 8. Student-athlete life and sprint training

Q (Juan): What does a normal day look like for you?

A (Shunca): I wake up around 5:00 a.m., go to school, and sometimes I have a session with my psychologist, nutritionist, or Dr. Huerta. Then I eat, train, do homework, and sleep because I have to wake up early the next day.

Q (Juan): How many hours do you train per day?

A (Shunca): About two hours, two and a half hours. Sometimes three. It changes depending on the workout.

Q (Juan): What is the hardest part of sprint training?

A (Shunca): My start. It is very complicated. People say it is just running, but it is not just running. My start is hard for me, although I have improved it. I still have things to modify.

Q (Juan): Which workout do you enjoy most, and which one do you enjoy less?

A (Shunca): I enjoy starts, even when they go wrong, because I like the acceleration part. I also like maximum speed a lot. I do not hate strength, but I do not like it as much. Sometimes I would rather be on the track.

Theme 9. Dreams, role models, and a message for girls

Q (Juan): What is your dream in track and field?

A (Shunca): To reach the Olympic Games and win something. That is my biggest dream.

Q (Juan): Are there athletes you admire?

A (Shunca): I like Sha’Carri Richardson a lot because of how she thinks and how she runs. I also like Noah Lyles. I watched the series Sprint, and it brought me closer to them because it shows not only the competitions but also what they live outside of competition. And obviously Usain Bolt, because he is the top.

Q (Juan): Where do you see yourself in five years?

A (Shunca): I see myself in the Navy. That is what I want to study. I do not want to stop training there. I want to keep training so I can represent them too.

Q (Juan): What message would you give to girls who want to start track and field?

A (Shunca): Do not leave it. Chase it. If you want something, go after it and do not give up. It is not easy. It will never be easy, but you have to stay there.

What is next

Shunca is preparing to compete at the CONADE regional stage in Tlaxcala. Her goal is to qualify for nationals again and improve her own marks in her first year in the U18 category.

At Oax Sport, we will keep using this space to talk about athletes, families, coaches, and the real needs behind each result.

Quick Q&A for athletes and families

What does this episode teach about sprinting?

Sprinting is not just running. Shunca explained that the start, acceleration, technique, strength, mind, and recovery all change the result.

Why does sport psychology matter?

Shunca said that before, she would shake and feel frustrated before competing. With psychological support, she learned to control her nerves, visualize the race, and compete with more confidence.

What support does an athlete need beyond training?

The episode shows the importance of physiotherapy, strength work, nutrition, sport psychology, family, coaches, and sponsors. It also shows that traveling and competing outside Oaxaca requires resources.

How can a person or company help?

You can support active fundraisers, donate, or contact Oax Sport to learn about current needs. Support can help cover competition costs, equipment, travel, or athlete programs.

How you can support today

You can support active athlete campaigns on our fundraiser page:

Active fundraisers: https://oaxsport.org/support-us/fundraisers/

Donate: https://oaxsport.org/support-us/donate/
Contact: https://oaxsport.org/contact/

Transparency

Oax Sport Inc. is a US nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status. EIN: 86-3407818.
Oax Sport A.C. is a registered civil association in Oaxaca. RFC: OSP230216SG0.
Donations support athletes from underserved communities in Oaxaca, Mexico.
If you need a receipt or tax documentation, contact us and tell us whether you donated to Oax Sport Inc. (USA) or Oax Sport A.C. (Mexico).

Listen every Thursday

Join us every Thursday for “Jueves de Oax Sport” inside Tribu al Extremo (106.1 FM) at 7:00 p.m., Oaxaca time. You can also watch the broadcast on Facebook (Tribu al Extremo / Tribalex).

Which part of Shunca’s story stood out to you most?

Last updated: May 9, 2026