With 13 sec 17 run on his 20th birthday, a personal best shattered by more than two tenths, Zhoya, who is living his first summer as a senior, has become the sixth best performer in the world for the year.

The best at European level.

Q: Did you expect such a performance?

A: "I knew that I had below 13 sec 32 (the minima for the Eugene Worlds, editor's note) in the legs. In training, we worked well. The start of the season in competition, it was not great, I had little problems everywhere. This is the first competition where I can really go almost 100%. Now I have a month to prepare for the Worlds (from July 15 to 24) and I I think the clock will continue to go down. I'm completely free: it was the last moment to do the minimums, finally I did them, it's a weight off my shoulders. I'm really very happy."

Q: How did you experience this day?

A: "There has been a lot of frustration over the past two months. Finally, I was able to really express myself, run a good race. Frankly I am relieved, there is a lot of stress that is gone. Now I can doing a month of training, +taffer+ without having in mind that I need to do the minimums. There, I have my secure place. There were mistakes as usual, but hey, it's my first year (in seniors)... Frankly if I can just improve every time, keep going down, down, down, that's the goal. , it wasn't really the Sasha Zhoya I know, that's more the Sasha I know."

Q: With what ambitions will you race in Eugene now?

A: "It's going to be my first Championships, I'm 19, uh no 20 now (he's celebrating them this Saturday, editor's note)... I'm going to go there for the experience, but I'm someone who wants the medal anyway... Even if with this time, it puts me a little higher (in the world hierarchy), I still attacked, and I don't want too much pressure. relaxation, no goal too high, I'll stay calm. There, I'm going back to Insep. I'm doing an infiltration in the knee (cracked meniscus two weeks ago in Geneva), so I can be 100%. After that, it's going to be hard, hard, hard. Probably no competition until the Worlds. And do a good thing there."

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