Athletics: Zoe Hobbs adds to star-studded cast at Potts Classic in Hastings

The fastest man on New Zealand soil is coming? Tick, Eddie Osei-Nketia will be here this month.

What about the fastest woman?

You can tick that box, too, because Zoe Hobbs will be taking her mark before charging out of the blocks at the annual Allan and Sylvia Potts Memorial Classic at the HB Regional Sports Park on Saturday, January 25.

Hobbs, who is holidaying in Sydney over the Christmas break, smashed the New Zealand record at the classic here last year.

The 22-year-old runs the 100m in 11.37s but Michelle Seymour's time of 11.32s, established in Melbourne on February 25, 1993, still stands for a Kiwi female.

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"Her direction is towards Tokyo 2020 so she's taken a little bit of time off to recover after the world champs in Doha, Qatar, in September," says Hobbs' coach, James Mortimer, of Auckland, of the Summer Olympics from July 24 to August 9 in Japan.

Mortimer, who assumed the mantle of lead sprints, relays and hurdles coach for Athletics New Zealand in November on a part-time basis, says Hobbs' focus coming into the fresh season is to boost her speed.

"Potts Classic will be her first race, really," says the 36-year-old sports manager for Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland. "Usually when she arrives she's should have done a couple but just because of the late finish last year she's been training during the early part of summer."

Nevertheless, Mortimer expects her to be in good form despite "under-race prepared" but will relish the fast track here.

"It's always nice and hot conditions with good competition because a lot of girls are coming through who will definitely test her and push her into opening up fast as well."

Hobbs was raised at a farm in Stratford, between New Plymouth and Hawera. She started sprinting at age 5 and thrived on sibling rivalry and a quest to be quicker than the boys.

A bachelor of science in human nutrition student at Massey University, she works out at the AUT Millennium in North Shore with Mortimer, a former New Zealand 110m hurdles record holder, who ran at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Georgia Hulls, of Hastings, is among the posse of sprinters who will keep Hobbs honest.

"She [Hulls] trains with me up here in Auckland and has opened her season with a personal best," says Mortimer of Hulls, who clocked 11.68s.

The former Havelock North High School student, who is in her first-year accounting degree of a five-year tertiary stint through Massey University's Academy of Sport there, claimed a bronze medal in her maiden World University Games outing in Napoli, Italy, in July last year. The teenager from Hastings Athletics Club was a member of the New Zealand 4 x 100m relay team with Hobbs, Olivia Eaton and Natasha Eady.

The Kiwis, under the tutelage of sprint coach Elena Brown, had smashed the 18-year-old New Zealand 4x100m record by more than 0.4s.

Rosie Elliott, of Christchurch, is another who will be gauging her worth against Hobbs after matching Hulls' time.

Elliott, who is in her third year of science degree, double-majoring in anatomy and microbiology, at Otago University in Dunedin, became the 17th fastest woman in New Zealand history over 100m when she clocked 11.68s at the Caledonian Ground in July last year. She had eclipsed her previous personal best of 12.07s.

"She's been a bit of a new name to the start of the season," says Mortimer of the 21-year-old who remarkably only started sprinting a year ago although she had flirted with it and high jump in high school.

"It should be a good competition," he says. "I think Zoe will be wary of what these girls have done in the first part of the season so she'll be ready and looking forward to being a part as well."

Sophie Williams, of Whanganui, will add to the excitement, albeit at 15 after her NZSS crown on a record time. Add the likes of Eady, from Auckland, into the mix and you start getting a clearer picture of a fizzing race.

Mortimer says the Hastings venue is renowned for its tail wind as well as hot and dry conditions that athletes relish.

"We just go down one or two days earlier to hang out in Havelock North and just to relax because it's a good time of the year as well."

He is hoping to field three women's 4 x 100m relay teams here but intends to sound out a couple of athletes to ensure they are competing.

"We'll definitely have two top teams turn up and there'll be an A and B team so they have potentially got a couple of races over the season and in Australia."

Mortimer reveals it can become challenging sometimes to mentor a stable of sprinters as a squad but all their programmes are tailored individually to enhance their performances.

"It's just basically the girl who is willing to put the work in and has the right recovery," he explains. "It's the girl who prepares the best, really, so there are no favourites in the squad or anything like that."

While Hobbs "is the cream that has risen to the top", there's nothing to imply other sprinters do not have the qualities to emulate her feat.

Ask Mortimer what makes Hobbs special, he replies: "She's very dedicated. She crosses every 't' and dots every 'i' in her preparation and turns up at every training where she puts in her 100 per cent."

Hobbs "hates" anyone beating her, an attribute that he wholeheartedly supports.

"We have a good crop of female sprinters coming through and a lot of them will be in Hastings."

Reigning world indoor and outdoor shot put champion Tom Walsh also will return to the classic.