- [Pamela] At barely 18 years old, Sophia Gorriaran has had a good run so far, setting world, national, and state records in multiple track events.

At the recent state high school track championships, she set a new record in the 800 meters and captured the top spot in the 1500 meters and the four by 400 relay, which she anchored.

- [Crowd] There we go, Sophia.

- [Announcer] And your 2023 1500 meter champion from Moses Brown, Sophia Gorriaran.

- Right after you win a race, it's a really good feeling.

I love to compete whatever it is.

So yeah, like to test how fast I am, and how I compare to other people.

I just like the challenge.

- [Announcer] Sophia Gorriaran on from Rhode Island, she can run anything from the 200 all the way up to the 3K and has set all time bests every single time she pretty much steps onto the track.

- Do you remember the first time when you said to yourself "Wow, I'm fast"?

- The first time was probably like in seventh or eighth grade when I was competing in the national championships for outdoor track winning in the 800 and 1500 meters indoors and then the 800 outdoors and the 1500 meter, I came in second, so then I was like, oh yeah, that's that's pretty good.

And going into high school I was pretty confident that I'm able to do pretty well.

- [Pamela] Sophia Gorriaran makes the pass, into the turn, she gets to the rail, will she hold off Shawnti Jackson?

Endurance versus speed, it is Sophia Gorriaran to the line.

She runs 1:11.

- [Announcer] That's insane.

- [Announcer] 1:11:35.

- Is it something that always felt natural to you?

- Yeah, I would say, I mean I started running since I was like three and a half and it's always just felt like second nature pretty much.

- Three and a half?

- Yeah, like three and a half or four years old.

- You could barely walk.

You're a toddler.

How did that happen?

- Well my siblings were running track at Hope High School for the Providence Cobras and I was asking my dad if I could run with them and he'd be like, no, not yet.

And then finally he let me run.

- [Pamela] So you were trying to keep up with your siblings?

- You could tell she could run right from the beginning.

Like she had pretty good speed and natural endurance where she could just keep running.

- [Announcer] And we're off.

- [Steven] I entered her in the NCAA last chance race at BU, but she was eight years old so anybody can run in it.

And I said well, she'll ride.

- [Announcer] I gotta say Sophia Gorriaran on the outside lane, she was out hard.

- [Steven] So that was pretty exciting.

She raced her sister and there was another woman there, a woman who was coming back from an injury and she was trying to win.

- [Announcer] It's starting to get heated down the back.

But look at that.

Sophia Gorriaran responds to the surge on the back stretch.

Are you serious right now?

I'm very impressed.

- [Steven] And at the end of the race she actually pulled ahead of Sophia by a hair.

- [Announcer] Can she hold on?

- [Steven] And and then if you watch the race, you see in the last 15 meters all of a sudden Sophia goes really fast and just goes boom.

And just finishes back in front of her by at like 100th.

- [Announcer] I think she took it.

- Was just that competitiveness, it's funny, if you watch the people in the crowd where the race is going on, they're all laughing, you know look at the little kid run.

- [Announcer] Wow, an eight year old just ran a 70 second 400.

I am incredibly impressed right now.

- [Steven] But then the BU coaches came over to me afterwards and they said, look, we appreciate it.

It was a great race, it was fun, everything like that.

But don't bring her back to the NCAA last chance qualifier when she's eight years old, let's wait a few years.

- Where do you get that competitive spirit?

- I think it just like runs in my family I guess.

- I think we come from a family of athletes.

My grandfather, her great-grandfather was a big wrestler at MIT and rower and managed to succeed the Olympic Wrestling Team in Mexico City and he's in the International Wrestling Hall of Fame.

- [Pamela] Steven Gorriaran played football and ran track at Brown University.

He acts as coach manager for his daughter.

- Was gonna have you run a 235 or something too.

- [Pamela] Sophia's older brother Max and Sister Natasha are college athletes.

Mom Corrine is a pediatrician who runs recreationally.

With that pedigree, it's no wonder at 16, Sophia Gorriaran qualified as the youngest female athlete in track and field to ever compete in the US Olympic Trials.

- [Sophia] It was a very cool amazing experience.

I was just really happy to be there and happy that my family was there with me supporting me.

- [Pamela] Despite being able to run like the wind, it has hardly been a breeze.

The road to becoming an elite athlete is grueling.

- Sometimes when you're running it's really painful, like in practice it'll be painful, but the reward after it is like amazing.

I usually train six days a week, I'll have three to four, usually four hard days unless I have a meet then it'll be three.

And then in between that I'll usually go on easier runs, longer runs just to kind of shake out my legs after a hard practice.

And then I also go to the gym like twice a week, sometimes three.

- In addition to her athletic success, there's academics where Gorriaran has again taken the lead.

I think everybody would like to know what the secret sauce is on that.

- I mean it's definitely tough.

Time management is a big thing and kind of just making sure you also get enough sleep, which I struggle with a lot.

I tend to go to bed pretty late.

- [Pamela] Even lack of sleep has not deterred her from the next step.

instead of going pro as you might have already guessed, she's going to Harvard where Gorriaran will continue to run track.

- The NCAA really helps athletes develop because you get a lot more support in the NCAA, like your coaches and everything and you have more resources available to you sometimes than when you're a pro.

And it helps you just grow.

- [Pamela] Growing up, Gorriaran has received advice from the pros and coaches around Rhode Island, but it is her father who practices by her side.

- Always practice with her just because I felt like she needed someone to practice with, or I would help her set the pace.

So I would start with her a lot.

Like if she was gonna run 800 meters, I might go 200 on, 200 off, 200 on, 200 off.

And then as she got faster, I'm like wait a second, I used to get a 42 second rest because it would take her that long to do a lap.

Now I get a 40, then I get a 38, I get a 35.

I'm like, you're killing me.

I'm getting older and you're giving me less rest.

- [Pamela] While she's now outpacing him, he never ceases to marvel at her speed.

- Just we'd be out there on the weekend and just seeing her run through the turn, I always used to think to myself that it was like watching Secretariat, the horse run, she looks so beautiful when the turn just running, just her mechanics and just flowing and very naturally.

I trust Sophia and her knowledge of track and field and I've told her I don't care if I'm screaming something to you or another coach is yelling something to you for what you should be doing or make this move or do this, if you know that's not the right thing to do, you do what you think is best.

I trust you more than I trust me to tell you what to do.

- I think I'm a pretty strong runner.

I can hold a fast pace for a while.

So I think that's one of my strengths, and I usually tend to stay pretty calm before races, like not get nervous and stuff.

I know many runners struggle with that.

So I think that's also another one of my strengths.

- [Pamela] Her Moses Brown track coach Matty Bennett says in addition to physical skill, Gorriaran has an amazing mental ability to pull away from the pack.

- That she's just continually wanting to be better and and I think that drive and that fire and that desire is really what sets her apart of just kind of never being satisfied and always wanting to achieve the next goal.

- Do you dream of Olympic Gold?

- I do.

I have since I was very young.

I've always wanted that so I'm really hoping that I get the chance to accomplish that.

- What do you think of the 24 Olympics in Paris?

- Yeah, I would love to be there.

- [Pamela] And what will it take to get an Olympic medal?

- Whew, luck.

No, what's it gonna take for anybody?

I think we're in a renaissance now of the 800 meters in the United States.

- [Announcer] Ajee Wilson, the 2022 World indoor champion in the 800.

- I think we're gonna have four or five, six of the top eight 10 women in the world will be American.

- [Announcer] And then on the outside is Athing Mu, 2021 Olympic champion and American record holder in the 800.

- That was never like that in the past.

And so I think that all of them could come down to separation of tents.

We could say it's gonna take hard work, it's gonna take this, it's probably gonna take strategy, brains.

People always think of it being a physical thing, but it's probably gonna take mental ability too, mental toughness and making the right decision at the right time.

- Obviously we've seen her have incredible success at the world level.

So yeah, I think it's totally possible.

- [Announcer] We are off.

Gorriaran, Henderson, Goule, Wilson, Mu, Akins, and Baker, this is what the people came to see.

- You just have to fight and push as hard as you can.

You can't give up.

Every time I'm out there I'm like I don't really have anything to lose because I'm pretty young.

I still have a long way to go.

Big thing about track is just sticking with it because you definitely have your bad days or sometimes a whole season will go your way.

So you just have to stick with it and keep putting in the work and eventually it'll come around and you'll end up running what you want run or better.

- [Announcer] Sophia Gorriaran, the high schooler runs for a fourth place finish in this absolutely loaded field.

- So I think that's a big thing, perseverance.

(gentle music)