Athletics: Bay females setting high standards at national level

Laura Nagel.

Two Lauras from Hawke's Bay - Nagel and Langley - are setting the pace as the best in their disciplines at New Zealand level.

Nagel reinforced her status as the country's 10km queen after claiming the New Zealand Road Championship crown in Masterton on Saturday.

The 24-year-old from Napier, winner of the national 10km crosscountry titles four weeks earlier, stamped her supremacy when she extended her lead on Lydia O'Donnell and Sally Gibbs on each lap to stop the clock at 35m 14s.

Laura Langley.

O'Donnell finished runner-up in 35:46 while Katie Kemp stormed home for third place in 36:08.

Langley had an outstanding win in the women's 10km race walk in a personal best of 50:26, more than two minutes faster than the men's winner Mike Parker in 53:02.

"I was trying to break the national [senior women's] record [42:9] but I couldn't do it," said the Graeme Jones-coached 18-year-old, who also is a Napier Harrier who had a bloke push her for 2km but withdrew at the 7km mark with back issues.

However, she smashed her U19 10km time of 51:54.

Langley is eyeing the U20 10km time of 49:22 held by Courtney Ruske, of Canterbury. That will come in November in Timaru, although she may decide in a month to go for 20km.