Zoe Hobbs breaks New Zealand women’s under-20 record for 100-metre sprint

Zoe Hobbs made her mark on the International Association of Athletics Federations world under-20 championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland this week by setting a New Zealand record in the 100m sprint.

Hobbs flew out of the blocks in her heat and stormed down the track to finish third in 11.53sec to secure an automatic qualifying position into the semifinals and set New Zealand under-20 and under-19 records in the process.

The 18-year-old-from New Plymouth, now living in Auckland and training under recently retired 2015 national 200m champion James Mortimer, said she was thrilled with her run to make the semifinals.

“I couldn’t believe it. I’m just amazed that I’ve broken the national record,” she said.

Hobbs, also a New Zealand surf lifesaving beach sprints representative, sliced 0.11sec from her personal best, which she set just five days earlier at a warm-up meeting for the New Zealand team.

Her time run saw her jump from 10th to fourth on the New Zealand women’s all-time list for the 100m event as she surpassed the record set by Hawke’s Bay teenager Briar Toop in 1990 at the Auckland Commonwealth Games.

“I got a good start and I knew I had to stay with them. I fought really hard to the end and realised I was very close to the second girl,” she said.

Hobbs was unable to secure a spot in the final eight to compete for the medal, however, as she finished fourth in her heat.

With a time of 11.67sec, she finished 0.9sec outside of the final qualifying spot and would have needed to reproduce something close to her stunning early run to have a chance.