Zoe Hobbs
Age: 24
Born: September 11, 1997 at Stratford
Event: 100m
Personal Best: 11.09s (NZ & Oceania record)
Height: 1.71m
Coach: James Mortimer
Over the past year, Hobbs has broken or equalled the NZ women's 100m national record six times, as she establishes herself as our greatest-ever women's sprinter.
New Zealand has traditionally struggled to compete over the shortest distances at international level, with Doreen Porter's 1962 silver medal the only time we have reached the medal podium over 100 metres/100 yards.
Hobbs burst to national prominence, when she set a national record of 11.53s in Poland six years ago and has gradually whittled away at the senior mark, previously set almost 30 years ago by Michelle Seymour at 11.32s.
After desperately (and unsuccessfully) chasing Tokyo Olympics selection last year, she has continued to establish her credentials, winning back-to-back Oceania titles and setting a new Australian championship record with 11.17s in April.
Hobbs reached the semi-finals over 60m at the world indoor championships, setting a new Oceania record of 7.16s to eclipse a mark held by former Olympic hurdles champion Sally Pearson.
In claiming her second Oceania title, she also set a zonal 100m record of 11.09s, which sees her ranked 54th in the world so far this year - a measure of how competitive the event is on the international stage.
