Zoe Hobbs insists ‘there is still room for improvement’ after breaking 11-second record

Zoe Hobbs thrives in high-level competitions. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand’s fastest woman knows she can get even faster.

Zoe Hobbs isn’t sure what her peak time could be — but she’s adamant that there are more gains to come. Given what the 25-year-old has managed in the past two weeks, that’s the kind of statement to excite sports fans all over the country.

Hobbs has had a memorable fortnight, culminating in the incredible 10.97 run over 100m in Sydney last Saturday night.

With just 53 strides along the Olympic park track, Hobbs became the first Kiwi female to crack the sub-11 second barrier.

It was also the fastest time recorded on Australian soil. But there is more on the horizon — if her trajectory is any guide.

Her personal best in 2020 was 11.38, which had been lowered to 11.27 by the end of 2021.

Last year she beat that mark on 16 separate occasions, in the course of slashing her fastest time to 11.08.

That was shaved further at the nationals — with the 11.07 heat, followed by a wind-assisted 10.89 in the final – before the magic feat in Sydney.

In sprinting terms, her level of improvement has been phenomenal — but can she sustain it?

“If the last few years have been anything to go by, I’ve been able to show my consistency and we have been able to gradually build on it each year,” Hobbs told the Herald.

“There is still room for improvement, still things that we want to implement.”

Hobbs’ strength is her cadence (number of steps per second) but increasing stride length is a big work on, where time could be further saved. She also points out that Sydney was only her second competition of the season and there is still room to put together a better technical race.

Then there is the opportunity to race in bigger stadiums in Europe, on better tracks and within tougher fields.

“I thrive in high-level competitions and having competition around me, that sort of environment,” Hobbs said.

Her improvement is the product of multiple factors; some technical changes and strength gains, as well as experimentation in the gym and on the track.

Even with a few days to reflect, Hobbs was still on an “emotional high” after her Sydney achievement.

“It’s not so much the time itself that I am super proud of, it is what it has taken to actually get to that point and what it means when you put it in context,” Hobbs said.

“[Sub-11] has been a goal for a long while. It is that gold standard of athletics and it’s incredible after my long journey I have finally been able to hit that mark.”

Whatever happens, the last few weeks have been a game-changer.

Hobbs now has an automatic ticket to the world championships in Budapest and is all but assured of selection for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Invitations will materialise for prestigious overseas events and sponsors will also come knocking (New Balance signed her up in 2021).

But such gains have been hard won.

Hobbs relocated to Auckland in 2016 to work with coach James Mortimer and has built an “epic team” around her.

For much of the intervening years, she had to balance her studies with training commitments, while also working to make ends meet, in cafes, as a lifeguard and in a restaurant — “classic student jobs”.

Athletics can be an unforgiving toil — with fractional gains — but Hobbs has persevered.

“We have gradually chipped away, year after year.

“Also being a sprinter is a non-traditional event in New Zealand so I’m not paid to be an athlete.”

“Looking from the outside, people probably assume that I’m paid to be a full-time athlete by High Performance Sport New Zealand.

“I don’t know if things will change after this... but that’s been my reality. I’ve had to fund a lot of my own things and that’s another reason why there have been a few more challenges.”

Hobbs is grateful for the support from her parents, helping her to fund trips to overseas competitions in the past, among other things.

“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know if I would still be doing athletics now,” Hobbs said.

The Taranaki product also doesn’t lack drive and determination, despite a difficult road and some high-profile setbacks.

“I have always had the desire and the goal to make the Olympics. That has been enough for me to stick at it. I know there is a talent there and it would just be a complete waste if I didn’t maximise that.”

Hobbs will be one of the main drawcards at the Sir Graeme Douglas International meet in Auckland on Thursday evening. It will be a strong 100m field, with many of the top Australians she trumped in Sydney making the trip, in search of rankings points.

Hobbs is unsure what she has left — after peaking so impressively in consecutive meets — but will empty the tank at Trusts Stadium.

“It’s been quite overwhelming,” Hobbs admitted.

“I’ve stayed on that emotional high and it has been two weeks of it. I am super grateful for all the support and everyone who has reached out.

“I’ve been trying to recover; I’m a little bit fried after two big weekends of racing and now it is about having fun with the racing that is left.”