The football team enhances Sandra Romero's legacy.

▲ Sandra Payton Romero (left) was nominated for the Mexican Hall of Fame. The Mexican players recently won the title at the World Games in Chengdu, China. Photo courtesy of the former national team member and Xinhua

Oscar Martinez

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, August 19, 2025, p. a10

At every flag football field the legendary Sandra Payton Romero attends, the sports community asks for a photo or an autograph. She obliges with her characteristic friendliness, unpretentious, and bursts into laughter with the crowd, a symbol of her recognition: a pioneer of the sport and a world champion, who witnessed the birth of flag football and its evolution over the years to become an Olympic sport.

At nearly 60 years old, Romero still plays, coaches some teams, and gives motivational talks in which she recounts her four decades of experience: 11 World Cups (three championships won, in 2004, 2008, and 2012); a member of the New Orleans Hall of Fame in 2003; and recently nominated for the Mexican Hall of Fame.

“People's recognition is the most valuable reward. Kids come up to me and talk to me, telling me I'm their idol. I talk to them about how to be disciplined, how to train, how to be persistent, and how they can eventually represent Mexico, but having a lot of humility is very important, and it makes you even greater,” Payton Romero told La Jornada , recalling his early college days, where he first encountered the flag with the Ositas de Acatlán in 1985.

Romero claps on the field. It's a signal to receive the ball, and once she has it, she dodges her opponents like in the old days. She runs and leaves them behind in a few seconds, observes, and throws the ball, hoping for a successful pass. She remains the same disciplined girl who played other sports (swimming, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, and track and field), which gave her the strength and agility to be a key element in the team's offense.

“At first, it was difficult because they didn't take kindly to the fact that we were playing a sport that was supposedly for men. That was the hardest part for our teammates when we started. My parents always supported me, but many of them didn't let me because they thought I was rude. Little by little, the Acatlán Bears coaches began to support us,” the Acatlán native commented.

The iconic player assures that the flag community began its first local tournaments with a different organization.

“Since 1977, some teams have started forming a league. When we started, there were 10 of us, and you played one season a year. Then you played another sport to stay in shape,” he said.

In the 1990s, her vision and passion led the team to take the risk of traveling to local tournaments in the United States, and despite the lack of support from any organization, they found the competitive level that made Sandra and the tricolor team position the country as an international benchmark.

In Mexico, players wore a bandana attached with Velcro to the back of their waist, and until 1992, when they began their adventure in the United States, two were worn on each side.

Little bears, the first in the US

That freedom allowed Ositas de Acatlán to become the first team to compete in the local tournament in New Orleans in 1991, competing against 140 universities.

“We were leaving our comfort zone to experience flag football in the United States, which is their sport and at a very high level. We had the skill that helped us; they were tall and athletic, but the skill was ours. Mexico shows its mettle; it never gives up,” said the Mexican veteran.

"There are many national tournaments where teams from Guatemala or Panama participate. The players told me they were 'coming to learn from the best.' Mexico has always been a powerhouse," she added.

Payton 's nickname has a meaning. The veteran quarterback was named after the renowned Payton Manning, considered one of the NFL's best passers. Her throwing and running style have also been linked to Walter Payton, who led the Chicago Bears to the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 1986.

In 2002, the International Federation of American Football (IFA) organized the first Flag Football World Cup in Austria. Two years later, the Mexican women's national team won its first championship in France, defeating Finland 42-12.

A few days ago, the women's team confirmed their two-time championship at the World Games in Chengdu by defeating the United States in the final by a score of 26-21. The team's achievements have positioned them as serious contenders for gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

There are moments that stay with you. Payton Romero linked that heart-stopping victory in which Diana Flores threw a last-minute touchdown pass to Victoria Chávez with the 2012 final, when she delivered the pass that won the game 33-32 in overtime, also over the Star-Spangled Banner in the Swedish Championship.

“I went back 13 years ago when we won on the extra point. It was a play we were planning to take slowly, but I made the decision to throw a long ball because I saw my receiver open, and we scored. It was that fast, because it's milliseconds, and as a quarterback, you have to make a decision. It was something I relived,” he recalled.

She acknowledged that this two-time World Games championship is very important, but "we have to continue working with the new generations because I don't know who will make it to Los Angeles 2028. There's a lot of talent, and we have to prepare to be even better," explained Romero, who aspires to be the first female coach of the tochito (football) team for the Olympic Games.

Diana Flores and Tania Rincón, current role models

Diana Flores and Tania Rincón are key figures on the national team and had a decisive performance in securing the title in Chengdu, China. They continue the path pioneered by Payton Romero.

The women "have worked well and know where to go. They're excellent athletes and players. I had the chance to be with Diana at some World Cups. I gave them advice, and they've really done well," she added.

Both teams have the greatest support from sports institutions, in contrast to what Romero experienced when she had to fund her own travels. “Compared to those years, now they have the support of CONADE (National Council of Sports), they're in the CNAR (National Center for the Advancement of Sports), they have physiotherapists, doctors, and nutritionists. They have everything they need to go for a medal, and we didn't have that,” Romero commented.

▲ Race walkers Valeria Flores (left) and Ximena Serrano took first-place finishes in the 20,000 meters. Photo @COM_Mexico

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, August 19, 2025, p. a11

The Mexican delegation collected nine medals yesterday at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay, and remains in fourth place in the medal table with 76 medals.

Ximena Serrano won the gold medal in the 20,000-meter walk with a time of 1:31:40.01, a record for the continental competition, and secured her spot at the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, while her compatriot Valeria Flores took the silver.

“I felt very good about the race. The weather was hot, but I liked it because it was cloudy at times. It was a race where my teammate Valeria and I applied a good strategy; I came in with the mentality that we could achieve it. When you're on the track, you see how you feel and analyze how the competition is unfolding to achieve the main goal of qualifying for the Pan American Games in Lima. I feel strong and happy. This 20,000-meter race is very intense, but I like the distance,” Serrano declared at the end of the race.

For years, Mexico has been known throughout multiple Olympic cycles for producing the world's best walkers, who have achieved outstanding results at each summer competition. Among its leading figures are José Pedraza, silver medalist in Mexico City in 1968; Daniel Bautista, gold medalist in Montreal in 1976; Raúl González, gold medalist in Los Angeles in 1984; and Ernesto Canto, gold medalist in Los Angeles.

However, the last Olympic medal won in this discipline was in Rio 2016, where María Guadalupe González won silver. Of Mexico's 11 medals in athletics at a summer event, 10 are in race walking.

“It was a tough competition because it was 50 laps. We tried not to get discouraged, and the results came as expected. It's the work we've been doing throughout the season, and this was the main objective, which gives me a lot of confidence to keep preparing every day. My teammates are an inspiration; it's a team that has a lot to give,” Flores commented.

The women's medals weren't the only ones Mexico received in athletics yesterday. Mariel Salazar won a silver medal in the 10,000 meters, while Luz Rocha took bronze in the same event. In addition, twins Iker and Ian Sánchez earned another silver medal and a bronze, respectively, in the 5,000 meters.

“I want to share this special moment with the entire country. We gave it our all. It was a good race, with great execution that allowed us to win a silver and a bronze. There's always a sense of calm. Having a role model is always good. It's easier to execute the plan if you see your brother pushing, and you're also ahead or behind. We helped each other. The difference was minimal in the race. We're people with the same talent and the same intention,” Iker said.

In diving, Kenny Zamudio took gold in the 10-meter platform, beating out Canadian Benjamin Tessier and Cuban Carlos Ramos, who joined him on the podium in second and third place, respectively.

Zamudio's medal is Mexico's third gold medal in diving, following those won by David Vázquez and Jesús Agúndez in the synchronized three-meter springboard, and by Mía and Lía Cueva in the same event. The twins earned a silver and bronze medal yesterday, respectively, on the one-meter springboard.

Mexico remains in fourth place in the medal table with 76 medals (18 gold, 29 silver, and the same number of bronze), behind leaders Brazil, Colombia, and the United States.

Emir Olivares and Ángeles Cruz

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, August 19, 2025, p. a11

In light of the triumphs of Mexican athletes in various international competitions, President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her congratulations and highlighted the achievements of the national athletes.

“Congratulations to all the young people,” he said at yesterday’s morning press conference.

He highlighted the women's tochito team's victory over the United States to become two-time world champions, as well as the Rarámuri team's triumph in athletics in Canada.

The President noted that a Mexican delegation participated in various competitions in China and performed well.