Following a month spent in the Qatari capital Doha preparing for his shot at world championship glory, the Australian Paralympian felt flat and under enormous pressure.

"I had to perform at the world championships, get in the top three, and if I didn't do that, I'd get all my funding cut at the AIS," Hodgetts said.

"So I 110% peaked for Doha in November and when I came off the plane for the next couple of months, I was a bit fatigued and ran myself into the ground."

Taking a deep breath, Hodgetts committed to get his mind and body strong again.

He started throwing heavier shots, upwards of 10kgs, and his numbers started to rise.

As did his smile.

That peaked on Saturday night during the low-key Briggs Athletics Classic meeting in Hobart.

Hodgetts threw 16.33 metres to better his own world record mark set at the 2012 Paralympic Games by a further nine centimetres.

"I wasn't expecting it," he said.

"I've been training really well; things have been going to plan lately.

"I knew I was in good shape but the actual throw I did, I didn't think I'd broke the world record.

Hodgetts' on-again, off-again confidence is now back on the rise.

All over one simple throw that he insists he can better.

"I backed off of it towards the end," Hodgetts said of his Saturday throw.

"I just needed to put that extra bit on the end of it and I reckoned I could have nailed another metre even."

The 27-year-old has now completed his second A qualifier for Rio.

Hodgetts believes his next throw at national trials will be his best ever.

"I can't be too specific, but we're looking at a half to a metre the next time."