Kiwi sprinter Zoe Hobbs has continued her Commonwealth Games build-up by shattering her own national 100m record, while setting a new zone record in the Oceania championships at Mackay.
Hobbs, 24, clocked a sizzling 11.09s in the final, well clear of nearest Australian rivals Bree Masters (11.34s) and Ella Connolly (11.53s).
The performance bettered Hobbs' previous NZ mark of 11.15s, set at Hastings in February, and the Oceania record of 11.11s, held by Aussie Melissa Breen from 2014.
Hobbs was delighted with her performance, even if it came as a much-welcomed surprise.
"I was so shocked to run an opener (first race since the Australian Champs in early April) and in the 11.0s is beyond what I was expecting," she said. "I came into these championships and I thought, if I ran under 11.2, I would have been super stoked.
"I can’t believe that has just happened. My goal was to get out quick and then focus on my own race.
"I managed to do that and it set me up well for the race. The start helped a lot.
"Since running the Aussie Champs, I went through a reload phase in the gym and this wasn’t a priority - the priority is the world championships and Commonwealth Games, so to run a time that quickly this early is very exciting."
Her time ranks her 39th in the world for 2022, with the top three spots filled by Commonwealth Games rivals - Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.67s) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.79s), and St Lucian Julien Alfred (10.81s).
Hours earlier, the Kiwi qualified through the heats with 11.24s, lowering her previous meet record of 11.56s, set in 2019.
Other NZ winners on the opening day of the Oceania championships included Tokyo Olympian Sam Tanner in the men's 1500m with a meet record of 3m 42.56s and world indoor bronze medallist Hamish Kerr, clearing 2.24m in the men's high jump.
