Just seven days after posting a tailwind-aided sub-11 second 100-metre win at the NZ National Championships, Kiwi sprinter Zoe Hobbs has done it again at the Sydney Track Classic.
The result becomes Hobbs’ first legal sub-11 second performance, clocking a time of 10.97s to scorch her Australian rivals with a two-and-a-half metre win.
🚨 SUB 11-SECOND RUN 🚨
— 7Sport (@7Sport) March 11, 2023
🇳🇿 Zoe Hobbs has broken the 11-second barrier with a HUGE time in the Women's 100m Final at the Sydney Track Classic! 🤯#ThisIsAthletics | @AthsAust pic.twitter.com/1T2Vse0oik
Hobbs’ previous race win of 10.89 seconds wasn’t counted due to a 3.4-metre-per-second tailwind, meaning her impressive heat time of 11.07 seconds stood as the new Oceania and New Zealand record.
However, the 25-year-old wasn’t going to stop there as she headed across the ditch to Australia, smashing Sally Pearson’s 12-year record (11.21s) and running the fastest-ever 100m on Australian soil to notch up her second title of the week.
Now with another record to her name, Hobbs says she is still coming to terms with the race that has allowed her to join an elite club of sub-11 sprinters around the globe.
“Sorry, I'm still processing all this,” she told Newshub.
“What does it mean? I don't know.
“I don't have many races left in the domestic season, but hopefully I can build on this performance moving forward.”
With the 2024 Paris Olympics in her sights, Hobbs says her recent performances have given her confidence as she gears up for a huge 18 months on the track.
“It gives me a bit more confidence for the rest of the year and the Olympics next year,” she added.
“I'm pretty sure that time would have qualified me sixth into the Tokyo final, so when you put it in that context, it's pretty exciting.”
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah claimed the gold medal at the 2021 Olympic Games, while Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji placed sixth with a time of 10.99s.