By Symone Tafuna'i
Zoe Hobbs will compete in the Diamond League Championships in Doha. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Sprint phenomenon Zoe Hobbs will open her international track season this weekend at the Diamond League Championships in Doha.
The 25 year-old is coming off a stunning domestic season, including breaking the 11 second barrier at the Sydney Track Classic in March.
The Stratford born sprinter is coached by James Mortimer, a former Commonwealth representative at the Melbourne Games 2006 and now lead New Zealand sprints, relay and hurdles coach.
Hobbs was the first woman across New Zealand and Australia to run sub 11 seconds (10.97).
"We haven't changed much other than fine tuning a few small things. Nothing is broken, so why fix it?," Mortimer says.
Mortimer is based in Auckland and also coaches Birmingham Commonwealth Games 400m hurdler, Portia Bing. As well as Georgia Hulls who competed at the World Track and Field Championships in the women's 200m in Budapest in 2022.
Hobbs has been under Mortimer's wing since she was 18 coming out of highschool.
She has been "training really hard and putting in some hard work leading into these races" Mortimer says.
This will be Hobbs' second Diamond League, previously competing at the Paris Diamond League last year. Placing 6th overall with a blistering time of 11.10 seconds.
The Kiwi will be going against big sprint household names like Shericka Jackson, Dina Asher Smith and Abby Steiner who also run sub 11 seconds.
"I don't think the big names really intimidate Zoe. It's about going out there and running with composure and leading the occasion to lift her results."
After the Doha Diamond League, Hobbs will head to compete in two golden meets in Kenya and Toyko over the coming weekends.
She will then return back home for a month before flying back out to begin her Europe season.
Hobbs will be competing in her third World Track and Field Championships in August this year.
She made the semi-finals in 2022 but Mortimer strongly believes she can make the finals this time round.
"With each world champs, Zoe has gone deeper into the rounds. I think she has huge potential to make the final and shake up the results," Mortimer says.
The 12 times national champion has her eyes set on the Pairs Olympics next year where the qualifying window opens up on 1 July. She will need to run 11.07 to qualify which looks highly likely if she continues her current form.
Hobbs has already planned with her coach to compete in a premium race on 2 July to solidify her spot on the Olympic team.
"I am confident Zoe will have that locked away pretty early leading into world champs, so she can focus on that."