Siraki Comes On Strong With Impressive Triple

Senior Anita Siraki of Hoover High turned in the finest triple of her career Thursday night in the Pacific League track and field finals at Arcadia High.

Siraki, defending state champion in the girls’ 3,200 meters, won the 1,600 in 4:55.27, the 800 in 2:12.70 and the 3,200 in 10:26.68.

Her time in the 1,600 broke the meet record of 5:03.29 that she set in 1999 and the 3,200 clocking lowered her meet record of 10:46.0 from last year. She raised her arms in exaltation at the finish of the 800 as she broke the meet record of 2:14.40 set by Janelle Del Soldato of Crescenta Valley last year, bettered her career best of 2:15.41 and moved to fifth on the yearly state performer list.

“I didn’t even think I could break 2:15,” said Siraki, who concluded her day with a 61.5-second anchor leg on Hoover’s sixth-place 1,600 relay team. “I didn’t feel so great today.”

Siraki’s times were doubly impressive because she ran the second half of each race faster than the first.

In the 1,600, she ran the second 800 in 2:25 after coming through the first in 2:30.

She clocked 65.5 for the second lap of the 800 after coming through the first in 67.2. In the 3,200, she ran the second 1,600 in 5:07.5 after coming through the first in 5:19.2.

“I surprised myself,” she said of the 3,200. “I wanted to break my [meet] record, but I didn’t expect to do it by 20 seconds.”