Record-breaker Zoe Hobbs smashes 11-second barrier to win 100m title at national champs

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Zoe Hobbs followed up her record-breaking run in the heats with a sensational victory in the 100m sprint final at the national track and field championships in Wellington on Friday.

In a high-quality field, Auckland’s Hobbs left her fellow competitors in the dust, coming home in an astonishing 10.89 seconds at an electric Newtown Park – her first time under 11 seconds.

However, due to the strong 3.4-metre-per-second tailwind in the capital, her time will not be counted as a new national record, which she set earlier in the day by winning her heat in 11.07sec.

“I can’t believe it either, what the heck!”, Hobbs said afterwards, having learned of her time.

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“It feels incredible, I was not expecting that, to have just come back from an injury. I just wanted to come out here today and be in one piece at the finish line.

“I just wasn’t expecting that. To open my season like that was incredible.”

Canterbury’s Rosie Elliott was a distant second in 11.36sec, with Singapore’s Veronica Shanti Pereira third in 11.44sec.

Earlier in the day, Hobbs set new Oceania, New Zealand, New Zealand resident and New Zealand all-comers records with a blistering 11.07sec.

Zoe Hobbs has broken Oceania and NZ records with her blistering sprint at the national athletics championships in Wellington.

Alisha Lovrich/Supplied

Zoe Hobbs has broken Oceania and NZ records with her blistering sprint at the national athletics championships in Wellington.

Her effort also gives her an automatic entry standard time for this year’s world athletics championships.

Hobbs trimmed 0.01 from her previous Oceania record mark set at the 2022 world championships in Eugene, Oregon.

It was a big statement from the 25-year-old Taranaki-raised, Auckland-based sprinter in her first competition of the season.

“My mentality going into that race was that I wanted to treat it like a season opener and not put too much pressure on it. My goal was to flow through the race, be nice and relaxed. Again, I just wanted to get through in one piece,” Hobbs said.

“When you are in a race scenario, it is completely different to doing training runs and stuff, and that was the No 1 priority.”

Hobbs made her dazzling trademark start out the blocks and looking relaxed quickly, established a nice rhythm. She flashed past the line, finishing a distance clear of Brooke Somerfield (Waikato Bay of Plenty), who recorded 11.64secs for second.

In the men’s 100m final, Canterbury’s Tiaan Whelpton won his first senior national title in a season’s best time of 10.13sec.

However, due to the illegal 5.2 m/sec tailwind, Whelpton’s time will not stand as a new personal best.

After a false start from Auckland’s Hamish Gill, Whelpton was fastest out of the blocks and he never looked under threat as he cruised towards the finish line well clear of the second-placed Dhruv Rodrigues Chico (10.31) of Auckland.

“It’s fantastic. The 100m title is the one that has been evading me the past few years, with hamstring injuries and whatnot,” Whelpton, who was beaten by Kiwi rival and national record holder Eddie Osei-Nketia in Melbourne last month, said afterwards.

“But I’ve got to say thanks to God for giving me this talent, and thanks to my coach Andrew McLennan for helping me nurture it.

“Regardless of what the wind was I’m very happy with that [time].”

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