After heart surgery, flag football champ Sophie Guitron is chasing L.A. Olympics bid

Los Angeles Times

8 hours ago

At age 10, Sophie Guitron began to suspect that something was wrong. For two weeks, her high fever and rashes did not respond to any treatment.
'I went to the hospital and they couldn't find what was wrong with me. I had very high fevers, rashes all over my body and nothing controlled the symptoms,' Guitron recalled.
She was initially diagnosed with arthritis, but after a series of tests, doctors detected something much more serious: a rare congenital heart disease that required open-heart surgery.
'The final diagnosis was systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Instead of my joints becoming inflamed, my organs were inflamed, and that's how they discovered the heart disease I was born with,' explained the Mira Costa High graduate. Guitron was born with an anomaly in the aortic portion of the left coronary artery, an extremely rare condition.
Her father, José, recalls that despite the pain, his daughter never lost her composure.
'She has always had a very high pain tolerance,' he said.
In August 2018, Sophie Guitron underwent successful surgery at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto. Although her recovery was long and emotionally difficult, especially because she couldn't immediately return to soccer, her sport since the age of 6, that moment marked the beginning of a new chapter.
During school breaks, while watching her classmates play flag football, something awakened in her. She learned the rules, decided to give it a try and fell in love with this new sport. She joined a recreational team and won a championship in a local league, as well as the respect of her teammates, being the only girl on the team.
The title was especially meaningful: Guitron scored the winning touchdown and was named most valuable player of the tournament.
With her passion for this new sport growing, she joined a co-ed club where she continued to develop. In high school, she realized that Mira Costa did not have a women's team. So she wrote directly to the Chargers for help. The NFL franchise responded by sponsoring the creation of the first women's flag football team in the school's history.
The effort paid off. During her senior year, Guitron and Mira Costa won the Bay League championship and achieved the school's first playoff victory. Playing various positions, but excelling mainly as a wide receiver, Guitron was recognized as the league's most valuable player and received Division 2 All-CIF honors.
Her development was partly thanks to the Conquer Chargers club in Irvine. Her parents supported her by driving her to practice, a trip that took more than an hour each way to and from Orange County.
Guitron's Conquer Chargers coach, Justin Schulman, highlighted not only her skill but also her mindset: 'She knew what she wanted, she sought us out on social media, and she earned her spot. She's a very talented runner, but above all, she's determined.'
In 2024, she represented the United States in the Junior International Flag Football Cup, winning the gold medal against teams from Canada, Japan, Panama and Mexico.
Her growth did not go unnoticed. The NFL recently chose her to be part of the 'Chase Something' campaign, alongside quarterback Jayden Daniels and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles. The campaign urges young athletes to pursue their dreams.
She had previously been awarded the NFL Latino Youth Honors 2024 in New Orleans, an event that celebrates Latino seniors with athletic and academic achievements. With a 4.2 GPA and nominated by the Rams, she received $25,000 for her college education.
Guitron, 18, will play flag football for Keiser University in Florida, alongside other emerging stars of the sport such as Janasia Wilson and Ashlea Klam. She plans to study sports management and has already represented the United States at the U17 level.
But her biggest dream is clear: to make it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where flag football will make its debut in the Olympic program.
'I'm working very hard to be at the 2028 Games, but my career won't end there. I'm young and I also want to make it to the 2032 Olympics,' said Guitron, who is 5-foot-5.
Schulman, Guitron's coach, says there is no doubt that she will succeed.
'She is so dedicated to the sport,' he said. '... I've already asked her to save me tickets to see her in Los Angeles.'
With deep Latino roots, the daughter of Lilia, born in Mexico, and José, a Californian with Mexican parents, Guitron is also aware she is a role model.
'I am proud to be American, but also Mexican American. It is an honor to represent Latinas in sports. I love being that person,' Guitron said.
Her father agrees: 'I remind her that she is a pioneer. She is part of a movement that, in the future, will be history.'
Although her arthritis is still present, in remission but with occasional flares of pain, Guitron believes that her experiences have made her stronger.
'I am very grateful for everything I have been through, even though it has been difficult,' Guitron said. 'It has made me who I am.'
This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.