Sasha Zhoya

Sasha Zhoya (born 25 June 2002 in Subiaco, Australia) is a track and field athlete with the triple nationality French, Australian and Zimbabwe. 
He is the current holder of three World U18 Best Performances (110 metres hurdles|110 m hurdles, Pole vault and 60 m hurdles) and one World U20 Record (60 m hurdles). 
== Biography ==
=== Family and beginnings ===
Sasha Zhoya was born on June 25, 2002 in Subiaco, locality of the southern suburbs of Perth in Australia, from a French mother Catherine Larbiose -Zhoya and a Zimbabwean father, Yonah Zhoya, so that he has the triple nationality Franco-Australian-Zimbabwean. 
Raised in Australia, he began athletics at the age of 8 at Melville Little Athletics where his mother is also a coach , and joined at 14 the Australian Institute of Sport. He is trained by Lindsay Bunn for Sprint (athletics)|sprinting events, and by Paul Burgess and Alex Parnov for the pole vault. 
He started training in France as well in 2017, at Clermont Athlétisme Auvergne, club of his mother's city of origin where he is coached in particular by Philippe d'Encausse for the pole vault.
Holder of three passports and competing in both Australian and French youth championships, Sasha Zhoya had to decide which country he will represent in competition. 
On January 3, 2020, he announced to the press that he will compete for France. 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.
=== Under-18 category ===
In 2018, at the French Junior Outdoor Championships in Bondoufle, Sasha won the silver medal on the 100 m and the gold medal on the200 m.
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 jump and for the 60 m hurdles, with 7.48s. Note that it was his first time on the distance and the National Youth Record is co-owned with Ladji Doucouré. 
In April 2019, at the Australian Junior Championships, he broke the World Youth Record in pole vault with 5.56 m, one centimetre more than the Greek Emmanouíl Karalís in 2016.
In June 2019 at La Chaux-de-Fonds, he broke the (French) National Youth Record of the 100 m with 10.41s (+1.4m/s).
In July 2019, at the semi-final of French Junior Outdoor Championships in Angers, he broke the World Youth Record of the110 m hurdles in 12.87s (+1.6 m/s), improving by 9 hundredths, the previous record of the Jamaican Jaheel Hyde of 2014 . He then logically won the final with 12.96s (+0.9 m/s). The next day, he won the 200 m final and descended for the first time below 21 seconds, with 20.81s but with wind assistance (+ 3.1 m/s).
A few days later, he broke the (French) National Youth Record of the 200m in a meeting at Sotteville-lès-Rouen with 20.91s.
=== Under-20 category ===
In 2020, at the French Junior Indoor Championship in Miramas, Sasha broke the World U20 Record on the 60 m hurldes with 7.34s in the final. 
== Palmares ==
* National titles
** French Athletics Championships
*** 100 m: 2018 (U18)
*** 200 m: 2019 (U18)
*** 60 m hurdles (indoor): 2019 (U18), 2020 (U20)
*** 110 m hurdles: 2019 (U18)
*** Pole vault (indoor): 2019 (U18)
**Australian Athletics Championships
*** 200 m: 2017 (U16), 2019 (U18)
***110 m hurdles: 2017 (U17), 2019 (U18)
*** Pole vault: 2017 (U17), 2019 (U20)
== Personal Records ==
Personal Records
Event 	Event 	Performance 	Place 	Date
60 m hurldes (91 cm)	Indoor 	7.48s (WYR) 	Liévin, France 	24 February 2019
60 m hurldes (99 cm)	Indoor 	7.34s (WU20R)	Miramas, France 	22 February 2020
100 m 	Outdoor	10.41s (NYR) 	La Chaux-de-Fonds, France 	30 June 2019
200 m 	Outdoor	20.91s (NYR) 	Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France	16 July 2019
110 m hurdles (91cm)	Outdoor	12.87s (WYR) 	Angers, France 	06 July 2019
Pole Vault 	Outdoor	5.56 m (WYR) 	Sydney, Australia 	1 April 2019
Pole Vault 	Indoor 	5.32 m (NYR) 	Liévin, France 	23 February 2019
Decathlon (U18) 	Outdoor	7271 points 	Perth, Australia 	13 January 2019
==In the media==
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== References ==	
== External Links ==
* Sasha Zhoya at World Athletics
* Athletics teen sensation Sasha Zhoya turns his back on ... - ABC
* Sasha Zhoya on instagram
* Sasha Zhoya on twitter
* The sky is the limit for record-breaking Zhoya - European athletics
* Sasha Zhoya - Athletics' next... | Australian Olympic Committee
* Sasha Zhoya - Zimbio
* France over the line | The Examiner | Launceston, TAS
Category:2002 births
Category:Track and field athletes
Category:Multiple citizenship
Category:World record holders
Category:Pole vault at the World Athletics Championships
Category:Australian Institute of Sport