Laura Langley's road to the 2024 Olympics

The Australian 20km champs held in Melbourne (12/2/23) was an important race for me. I went into it with the mindset of achieving a personal best - looking for around 1.45. I spent 8 days in Melbourne - alongside Magnus Graesli who was racing in the U20 10km.

I went into the race with the plan of walking conservatively at the start, finishing faster than I started - negative 10km splits. I've always felt nervous about starting slow, with the fear that I won't be able to pick it up when it counts. But after going over the plan with Damian (coach), I felt I could trust the plan, and I was committed to starting the race in a more relaxed way. One thing I have recently started doing, which I also did in Melbourne, is the night before a race, I write a short paragraph to myself - key things to remember, giving myself some motivating words and self belief... a little 'pep talk' if you like. I've found this has been a major part of having a successful race. I re-read this just before I warm up so that it's fresh in my mind. I feel full of confidence and determination.

The 20km was just about 'picture perfect'. "Ticked all the boxes" as Damian expressed over the phone that day. I started sensibly with a 5.25 first km, and held that for 3km, before gradually getting quicker. At 3km I was 18th, at 10km, 16th, and by the finish, I placed 13th. I felt I had raced smart. I felt proud of the new personal best of 1:45.25, which was more than 3 minutes faster than my previous best set in 2017. I was proud not only of the time, but of the way I had raced.

Racing in Australia is a huge contrast to racing in New Zealand. The competition is world class, and currently I am not quite quick enough to be competitive, in the top end of the field, with Australia's greatest, and the other internationals who travel to compete there. Which provides excellent motivation and inspiration for me when I get the privilege to race against them. I am good enough to be in the race, and enjoyed the thrill of chasing (and catching) other quality walkers as the race progressed this time in Melbourne, despite being closer to the 'tail end' of the field. Racing in Australia is getting exposure to the "bigger world" of race walking, and it is so exciting to be a part of that. What I've also gained from this experience is being able to chat with other walkers, hang out after the race, build connections and friendships, and gain some insight into other athletes' worlds and training styles. Spending 8 day with Magnus has been incredibly valuable too. Despite being his 'caregiver', he probably (definitely) looked after me more than the other way around, making sure I didn't get lost in the city (my navigation skills are beyond shocking). It had been great spending time in Melbourne together exploring parts of the city. Lots of banter and great conversation, which made the experience 10x greater than if I were to have done it alone. I am already looking forward to the next Australian competition. There is still so much more for me to give to this sport. I am excited, motivated, and so ready for the training to come, in the build up to racing 20km, again in Australia, in December this year.