Sasha Zhoya (born 25 June 2002) is an Australian-born French athlete who represents France in international track and field competition, specialized in hurdling events. Born in Australia, and of French and Zimbabwean descent, he represents France internationally.
Sasha Zhoya was born on 25 June 2002 in Subiaco, locality of the southern suburbs of Perth in Australia, to a French mother, Catherine Larbiose-Zhoya, and a Zimbabwean father, Yonah Zhoya, so he has the triple Franco-Australian-Zimbabwean nationality.[citation needed]
He started training in France in 2017, at Clermont Athlétisme Auvergne, club of his mother's city of origin, where he is coached by Philippe d'Encausse for the pole vault.[5]
Holder of three passports and competing in both Australian and French youth championships, Zhoya had to decide which country he would represent in competition. In 2020, he decided to compete for France.[6] He joined the sprint-hurdles group of the French Athletics Federation at INSEP, supervised by Ladji Doucouré for the hurdles and Dimitri Demonière for the sprint events.[7]
Following his decision to compete for France, he moved to Coutansouze, in Allier, where his mother's family holidayed.[citation needed]
He wins the Diamond League 110m/hurdles finals in Brussels in 2024, after his two victories in Paris and Rome.
Career
Under-18
In 2018, at the French Junior Outdoor Championships in Bondoufle, Zhoya won the silver medal in the 100 metres and the gold medal for the 200 metres.
In February 2019, at the French Junior Indoor Championships in Liévin, he won two gold medals with two French national youth records, for pole vault with a 5.32m vault and for the 60 metres hurdles with 7.48 seconds. It was his first competitive outing at the hurdles distance and equalled the youth record owned by Ladji Doucouré.
In April 2019, at the Australian Junior Championships, he broke the world under-18 record in pole vault with 5.56m, one centimetre more than the Greek Emmanouíl Karalís in 2016.[8]
In June 2019 at La Chaux-de-Fonds, he broke the French national youth record in the 100m with 10.41s (+1.4m/s).[9]
In July 2019, at the semi-final of French Junior Outdoor Championships in Angers, he broke the world under-18 record for the 110 meters hurdles with a time of 12.87s (+1.6m/s), improving by 9 hundredths the previous record of the Jamaican Jaheel Hyde set in 2014.[8][10][11] He later won the final with 12.96s. The next day, he also won the 200m final and descended for the first time below 21 seconds, with 20.81s but with wind assistance (+3.1m/s).
A few days later, he broke the French national youth record in the 200m in a meeting at Sotteville-lès-Rouen with 20.91s.[12]
Under-20
In 2020, at the French Junior Indoor Championship in Miramas, Zhoya broke the world under-20 record in the 60m hurdles with 7.34s in the final.[2][13]
In July 2021, he improved his personal best over 110m hurdles by posting 13.02s in the semi-final of the French junior championships in Bondoufle. Zhoya then largely won the final in 13.06s. A few days later, he won the European U20 Championships in Tallinn in 13.05s, his first international title. In the semi-final, he ran in 12.98s, which was below the junior world record, but with wind assistance (+2.4m/s).
In August 2021, Zhoya won the 110 m hurdles final of the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya while setting a new world U20 record of the distance in 12.72s.
Under-23
For his first season with senior height hurdles (106.7cm), Zhoya won the 110m hurdles final of the French Athletics Championships in 13.17s (-0.5m/s).
For his second season with senior height hurdles, he wins the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo in 13.31 s (+0.5m/s). During the semifinals he improved the U23 championship record with 13.22 s (+0.3m/s).[14]
Two weeks later, he won the 110m hurdles final of the French Athletics Championships, for the second consecutive year, in 13.01s (+2.3m/s).[15]
The European Athletics U23 Championships is a biennial athletics competition for European athletes under the age of 23, which is organized by the European Athletic Association. The oldest of the 'age-group' track and field events held by European Athletics – European Athletics U20 Championships are held in the same odd numbered years, while the European Athletics U18 Championships, previously the 'Youth Championships' are held in even numbered years.
Kevin Mayer is a French athlete specialising in decathlon and indoor heptathlon. He is two-time world champion, two-time Olympic silver medalist and the world record holder in the decathlon since 2018. He is also a world and three-time European champion in heptathlon.
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The French Indoor Athletics Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the Fédération française d'athlétisme (FFA), which serves as the French national championship for the sport. Typically held over two to three days in February during the French winter, it was first added to the national calendar in 1972, supplementing the main outdoor French Athletics Championships held in the summer since 1888.
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Britany Anderson is a Jamaican athlete.
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Matvei Volkov is a Belarusian athlete who specializes in the pole vault. He was the gold medallist at the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2021.
References
↑ "IAAF". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
1 2 "IAAF". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
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