Whangarei has a new national champion as 12-year-old Bella Earl claimed gold at the Athletics New Zealand annual Cross Country Championships.
The Parua Bay School student took out the 13 and under girls division, running an exceptionally strong race in a quality field with some of the best cross-country runners in the country.
Second-place runner Myah Houthuizen, from Gisborne Harriers, led from the gun but was passed by Earl just after the half-way point and came home six seconds back at the finish. Olivia Hala, from Tauranga, was third.
The Auckland Domain course, the same course that was used for the World Masters Games in April, was heavy after the recent rains and this made times slow for all athletes.
Earl's time of 7:34 for the 2km circuit was remarkable given the wet conditions. The girl's race was a combined race with the 13 and under boys and Earl was just five places behind the first boy to finish in a field of 50 runners.