Athletics: Sasha Zhoya, junior world champion and phenomenon to watch in the 110m hurdles
French hurdler Sasha Zhoya, junior world champion and junior world record holder in the 110m hurdles (12''72), on August 21, 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya.
REUTERS - BAZ RATNER
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
4 min
The French hurdler, who had already broken the junior world record in the 110m hurdles in the semi-final (12''93), became the under-20 world champion this Saturday, August 21 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Sasha Zhoya smashed her own record: 12''72.
This is promising for his future among seniors.
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The previous world record for juniors in the 110m hurdles (12''99) took a big slap in the space of two days. The French Wilhem Belocian (in 2014) and the Jamaican Damion Thomas (in 2018) were erased with the manner by a new
very ambitious
hurdler
: Sasha Zhoya. On Friday, in the semi-finals of the Under-20 Worlds held in Nairobi, Kenya, the 19-year-old signed an
impressive 12''93
... but unsatisfactory in his eyes, due to numerous "
Errors
", in his own judgment. “
It wasn't phew,
” he told
L'Équipe
.
The Frenchman had announced his intention to do better in the final this Saturday. And he did not miss: very clearly superior to his main opponents - who have yet improved their personal best -, Sasha Zhoya exploded the world record set the day before. He became junior world champion with a brilliant time of 12''72. He smashed his previous record of 21 hundredths! The conditions of these Worlds, played in the Kenyan capital at an altitude of nearly 1,800m, are not for nothing either (the French Erwan Konaté in the long jump - 8.12m - and the Serbian Adriana Vilagos in the lancet in the javelin - 61.46m - also set world records).
That world record feeling 🤯 @ sasha_zhoya's 12.72 at 110m hurdles (99.0cm) betters his own world U20 record, which stood just over 24 hours, by a staggering 0.21 seconds!
pic.twitter.com/ZQKE2bH4MM
- World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 21, 2021
After having won everything in the cadets and juniors, it's time for the senior world
Already world record holder among cadets (12''87 in 2019 with hurdles high 91.4cm), the recent European junior champion has assumed his status in Kenya. He had come for the gold and the world record and did not miss himself. Great hope of athletics, Sasha Zhoya delivered a real demonstration in the final. He crossed the line more than three meters ahead of the silver medalist, Jamaican Vashaun Vascianna (13''25). “
I'm really happy, the job is done. Since last year, that was the goal I set for myself
, ”he said.
Born on June 25, 2002 in Australia, to a Zimbabwean father and a French mother, the hurdler divides his time between his native country and France, of which he has chosen to wear the colors.
Also gifted in pole vault (cadet world record holder with a jump to 5.56m in 2019), now European champion and world champion and world record holder in the 110m hurdles among juniors, Sasha Zhoya will be a competitor in follow closely when he takes on the seniors.
For the juniors, the hurdles are 99cm high, against 106.7cm for the seniors.
A difference to which the French will have to be made.
But its development gives hope for a successful transition.
The senior world record has been held since 2012 by the American Aries Merritt with a time of 12''80.
Maybe Sasha Zhoya will dust it off soon.
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