Olga Álava: "I wish there is pregnant"

A decade ago, the former model from Guayaquil Olga Álava (33) won the Miss Earth crown in the Philippines. She was the first Ecuadorian to achieve this title. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge and that stage of beauty pageants is behind us. In 2008 she was Viceroy of the city and in 2011 she became the fourth finalist of Miss Ecuador.

Now she is an engineer in International Business and together with her husband, the Spanish Víctor Barahona (29), is in charge of a company dedicated to the manufacture of steel products for the home and construction. She is not a mother yet, but she is a dream that she hopes to fulfill in 2022. Her style of clothing is casual.

Guayaquil is infected with COVID-19. Have you already fallen?

It hit me when the pandemic started in 2020. I was one of the first, I couldn't breathe. Now something more is known about the disease, not before. It was horrible. I am not opposed to the vaccine, it is better that they apply it.

Ten years ago she had a beautiful experience when she was crowned Miss Earth.

It's been a long time. I see that year as an opportunity for growth and appreciation. José Hidalgo had the franchise, I knew him from Miss Ecuador. They were wonderful with me in the Philippines. They are people with experience and they go out of their way for the reigns. It is already a stage passed. I used to speak Mandarin before, but I've pretty much forgotten it (laughs). I'm basic.

Would you enter a contest again at this point?

No. My focus is to work, give work and take my products out of the country. When I was queen I was moved to see the Filipinos with the flag of Ecuador. Now I am excited to see my products in Peru and soon in Guatemala. That makes me proud, we believe in our land. That is my priority, just like my family.

In his time there was not the inclusion that exists now in contests.

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I think it's good that everyone is given a chance. Now I see that the pageants focus more on a prepared woman who is not only beautiful. An all-round beauty is preferred. That's cool. Women are more and more prepared, with degrees, speak several languages ​​and have different skills.

A Spaniard managed to win her heart...

I met him in Spain, where I did a master's degree, and I 'imported' him to Ecuador. We will be married for four years in March. Before the pandemic we decided to open a company in Peru to bring products from Ecuador. It caught us there (the pandemic); I was able to return, he was not. We were separated for five months, but we took advantage of the time to make disinfectant products and sent them there. With a busy head we avoid falling into despair and worry.

What did you find in him that you didn't find in Ecuadorians?

(Laughter) I've always liked to travel, today we live in Ecuador, I don't know if I'll be elsewhere tomorrow. I love that dynamic. I don't question Ecuadorians, but he is very open, he experiences other places and cultures. That's incredible. The Spanish are very straight forward, they don't disguise anything. He is handsome and tall (he lets out a laugh). Despite that, I'm not jealous.

After four years of marriage, have you already considered expanding the family?

Hopefully in 2022 I get pregnant. After we got married we dedicated ourselves to working, growing professionally, and then the pandemic came. We wanted stability. We just hope that God sends us that little gift. We would like to have two. It's already 33 years, I don't want to be an older mom. Having a big family is nice.

One of his priorities, training

Olga never exercised much. But after COVID-19, she had some consequences. He got tired walking or climbing stairs. “I decided that this could not continue, so I started training with coach Anabel Saavedra, who has helped me with some changes, I have lost weight and now I run.

My husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told him I wanted to run. In Madrid he signed me up for two races. I ran on December 31 through the streets of that city. We both ran and with my sister Laura who lives there. I usually weight train in the evenings and run on the weekends. I physically feel much better than Olga ten years ago”, she says.

She confesses that she invests in travel and loves to eat. He has some favorite hollows, like El Manaba, La Pocha and Los Arbolitos. After the reigns she stopped wearing heels and ball gowns. He prefers to wear casual clothes, jeans, sports shoes and T-shirts, because it is the most practical for his work.