Angelina Valladares pulls off the double.
It may be cliche, but consistency and hard work have paid off. Jackpot. Angelina Valladares (12) Took home the Gold...two times... and the elusive title of "City Champion" at the L.A. City Finals held at El Camino College on Friday, May 17.
In two of the most dramatic races of the evening, Valladares used her training, smarts and heart to win the 1600m (5:06.03) and 800m (2:17.94) breaking her own CPHS school records.
In the 1600, Valladares made a surge with 300m left in the race, separating herself from a lead pack of four. She built up her pace and the other top girls in the city could not respond.
In the most breath-taking 800 race I've ever witnessed, Annabelle Refnes set a blistering pace in lap one, establishing a six second lead going into the final lap. Valladares remained relentless, kept her race strategy and began to build momentum. Refnes began to struggle and slow, seemingly having burnt too much fuel. With 140 meters to go, Valladares overtook Refnes for the City Title.
Valladares represented CPHS at the State Championships. But that will be left for a future article.
Head Cross Country and Track Distance Coach Gonzalo Vasquez said, "Angelina Valladares is the perfect example of what a person can accomplish through hard work and dedication. For the first 2½ years in high school, she'd wake up at around 5am and her mother would drive her from L.A. to the valley to attend school. Some days when we had morning practice, she'd need to wake up earlier. Her reward: Two Cross Country City Championships, An individual Cross Country City Championship, two individual Track and Field City Championships and two 4 x 800 relay City runner up finishes. She's the Canoga Park Cross Country record holder and Track and Field school record holder in the 800, 1600 and 4 x 800 relay. A three-time participant at the Cross Country State Championships and two-time participant at the Track and Field State Championships. And maintained a GPA greater than 4.0."
Valladares will attend UC Davis in the Fall and will run for the Aggies.