Michael Burgess: NZ Herald sports journalist on Zoe Hobbs missing out on the women's 100 metre final

Disappointment for sprinter Zoe Hobbs - who's missed out on the women's 100 metre final at the Paris Games.

The Olympic debutant finished sixth in her heat, with the top two in all three semis and the next two fastest advancing.

NZ Herald sports journalist Michael Burgess says Hobbs managed an incredible performance in a competitive sport, but it wasn't enough.

"She ran 11:08 in her heat and 11:07 today would have been enough to make the final, but as she explained - she had a slightly poor start."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks edb Okay.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
So we're going to go from a jubilant Emma Twig
to the raw emotion of disappointment at the Athletics. This morning,
Zoe Hobbs missing out on a place in the one
hundred meter final, finishing sixth in her semi post race,
she spoke to New Zealand Herald reporter Michael Burgess.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
I just didn't get the greatest start. Usually the first
ten twenty thirty is the strongest part in my race,
and I just wasn't. Yeah, it just wasn't good to ten.
I think my reaction was a little bit slower as well,
and then from their kind of just state mid pack.
So yeah, I'm definitely disappointed. But at the same time,
I'm at an Olympic Games, which is a huge achievement

(00:54):
in itself, so yeah, I can be proud.

Speaker 4 (00:57):
Well, you're in the most globally competitive sport, in the
most globally competitive event one hundred meters. So when the
dust settles, will that helped to put in for you?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
I think? So, I think I'd just take good night
to process at all. But yeah, just being here and
just getting to stand on the start lane as a
huge deal.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Oh, Belisa, she's going to make me cry. And Tom
Walsh out injured in the shot put this morning.

Speaker 4 (01:27):
Yeah, I still thought that I had a chance to
come out here and throw really well today three well yesterday,
and yeah, as I said, I wanted to commit some
throw and the body just didn't play born.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
I'll be back wor about that for all the other
action overnight, we head to Michael in Paris.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
Hi, Michael, good morning, Good morning, And yes, there has
been a lot of action, hasn't.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
There certainly has a very emotional Zoe Hobbs there. She
should hold her head high. I think she did really well,
even though she's very disappointed.

Speaker 4 (02:02):
Oh, she's done amazing. I mean, what she's doing in
the most globally competitive sport and the most globally competitive
event one hundred meters is incredible and has been incredible.
But no consolation, I guess in the raw aftermath, and
that was one of the hardest thing you've had to do,
to be honest with her, just after that race, because
she was devastated, she really was. And Bettia started rolling

(02:25):
about a minute into the interview because she knew she
had missed the golden opportunity to make an Olympic final.
She ran eleven eight in her heat and eleven o
seven today would have been enough to make the final,
but as she explained, she had a slightly poor start
and then couldn't recover. So she runs eleven thirteen, which

(02:46):
by her standards is not where She's been so devastated now,
but I think when the dust settles, she'll be very
proud that she's put New Zealand on the sprinting map,
and I'm sure she'll be in Los Angeles in four
years time.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
That was going to be my next question. Samuel Tanner.
He had his fifteen hundred meters riper charge.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
Yeah, and very disappointing for Santana. He hasn't been himself
in Paris, That's obvious. He had He's had an achilles
problem and we all know how bad they can be,
so he couldn't. He hasn't been running until about six
weeks ago, which is really affected, and he was still
hopeful coming in, but he just just hasn't been hasn't
been in the race, neither in his heat or the ripertade.

(03:29):
So very disappointing for him because he was and is
a promising talent.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
He will have enjoyed the experience. I mean, it's an
incredible experience to have, right.

Speaker 4 (03:40):
Oh, it is. It's an amazing experience. But I think
especially for track athletes who work so hard to get here,
you have you one moment and you really want to
there's such a focus on the track and field that
you really want to put out your best possible race.
So that is what I imagine would be particularly devastating for
someone like him.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
So keeping that in mind, of course, a very difficult
day for Tom Walsh. Who'd you speak to him just before?
What's to deal with this injury? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (04:09):
You got to feel for him because this guy, you know,
he's been He's been a titan for us, hasn't he?
The things he's done at world Championships, He's won two
consecutive Olympic medals. Who was going for a third. He
would have been the first male in the track and
field event to do that. But he he's not sure
what he's done. But it's not good. He's either he's done.
He thinks he's torn as a ductor muscle. He could

(04:31):
feel it on his second throw, he could feel something bad,
but he's still tried. On the third throw and that's
when it really went. So he told me that it
had been bothering him in the last sort of two months.
It's sort of a part of their job, really, and
it must have flared up. But he hoped that he
gets through Paris with it and unfortunately has it. So
like Zoe, three years of work to get here or

(04:56):
disappeared really fast. And he as well. He's a tough guy, Tommy,
he's you know, tough, tough, timory man, but you could
see that he is pretty heard as well.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Jacko Girl got sixth. How's he feeling after that one?

Speaker 4 (05:12):
I think he'd be feeling. I think he'd be probably
a mixed feelings, but fairly proud. It's an improvement on
what he did in Tokyo where he finished ninth. He
also put his ninth in Rio, so you know, I
think he's making steps. It feels like he's in a
funny sort of way. He's a late bloomer. He was
a junior star and then and then the midpoint of
his career sort of flattened out. And now I think
he's really ready to go somewhere, so I think he'd

(05:35):
be feeling okay. He certainly didn't throw what he can,
so he'll know there was more in the tank. But
he was in contention. He was sort of sitting about
fourth fifth for a lot of a lot of the finals,
so I think he'll be feeling okay about things.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
Michael eric A fair with a has just wrapped up
the Kiwi campaign with an eighth and the eight hundred
meter freestyle final. How do you think the Kiwis will
be feeling about their campaign in the pool?

Speaker 4 (06:00):
Yeah, that's a really good question, Francesco. I mean, you know,
we all were getting excited about the possibilit eve A
swimming medal. You know, there's been many, certainly none since
nineteen ninety six with Daniel Loader, and we really thought
that maybe Erica or Lewis clear that could get one.
But it was sort of a reality check really of
how tough swimming is. That Erica had that wonderful fourth

(06:22):
in her first final, so that was really close for her.
I think they'll be feeling overall pretty good about it,
but not quite where they wanted to be. But there's
definitely signs. I think that swimming is on the right track,
and I think Erica is a great example. I mean,
she's made three finals. I mean, it wasn't so long

(06:43):
ago that we just didn't have athletes making finals apart
from Lauren Boyle, and we're sort of taking it for
granted with Erica. So I think there is something to
build on there, and what Erica and Lewis are doing
is going to inspire the current generation and the next generation.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
We what have been through your highlights this week?

Speaker 4 (07:03):
I don't know if I've got a long enough to
talk about them because there's been so many, but I think,
I think, I think the triathlon comes to mind. The
triathon was absolutely incredible. Just the course through the center
of Paris that jumps to les amazing, The way Hayden
Wild ran that race so courageous, the way he lost

(07:23):
so devastating, and then the way he spoke afterwards was
an amazing exhibition of sportsmanship. So that was incredible to watch.
And the other thing I'd probably mentioned would be the
supermums and the double skulls, the two rowing mothers amazing
what they did, the first ever mothers in the New
Zealand Rowing Elite program. They go and win a gold,

(07:44):
but not just that. The way they won the gold,
you know, against the Olympic and World champions from Romania
and they just put the foot down with about seven
hundred to go, just which is absolutely fantastic. So that
they are two of many that spring to mind.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
No, I know it's not all about the medals, but
if we are looking ahead to the second week, you know,
what are the potentials there? Of course got LESA Carrington.

Speaker 4 (08:08):
Yeah, it's funny when you say not about the medals,
because I think we are a bit obsessed. We have
to remind ourselves. I've talken a couple of foreign journalists
today and they were saying to me, gee, you guys
are amazing. You're a small country. Look how many medals
you've got already. You know, these countries they were half
our Middle count and twice our size, so we do
need to keep them perspective. But yeah, we've got definitely
got chances to come. Dame Lisa, of course she'll be

(08:30):
in the K two, the K four and the K one,
and really strong chances in all of them. I mean
she's a favorite for the K one obviously, but Amy
Fisher in the K one is a really strong chance too.
Apart from the kayaking, you would never count at lydia
Co and the golf. She's had her ups and downs
in the last few months, but she's got all that experience,

(08:50):
so she is a definite contender. I would think another
one that comes to mind Hamish Kurr in the high jump.
He's kind of the talk of the high jump world
at the moment. He won the two diamond legal events
coming into the Olympics, so you know, high jumps very
tough event. You've got to be right on the night.
But he is no doubt a podium contender.

Speaker 2 (09:13):
Thank you so much for that, Michael, enjoy the next
week in Paris. That was New Zealand Herald reporter Michael
Burgess there for us.

Speaker 1 (09:21):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks a B from nine am Sunday,
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