Running as a guest at the Spanish U20 Championships in Madrid on Sunday (4), France’s Sasha Zhoya scorched to another fast time in the 110m hurdles.
Competing over the U20 0.99cm obstacles, Zhoya shaved one second off his world U20 leading mark, clocking a lifetime best of 13.27 despite running into a sizeable headwind of 1.2 m/s.
Zhoya moves up one place on the European all-time list to equal sixth alongside Russia’s former world U20 champion Konstantin Shabanov and he still has one season left in the U20 ranks.
Sasha Zhoya strikes again!
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) October 4, 2020
Competing at the Spanish U20 Championships, Zhoya clocks 13.27 in the 110m hurdles (99cm).
(Video from @atletismoRFEA)pic.twitter.com/U4wVOdRLK1
Born in Perth in Western Australia, Zhoya is now eligible to represent France and the teenager looks poised to extend France’s excellent tradition over the hurdles at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn next July.
Zhoya does have other options though. He jointly holds the world U18 best in the pole vault (5.56m) and U18 110m hurdles (12.87) and the 18-year-old also has excellent sprinting speed, recently finishing second in the 200m at the French Championships in 20.68.
European all-time U20 top-10
12.99 Wilhem Belocian (FRA) - 201413.17 David Omoregie (GBR) - 2014
13.23 Artur Noga (POL) - 2006
13.25 Jason Joseph (SUI) - 2017
13.26 Josh Zeller (GBR) - 2019
13.27 Konstantin Shabanov (RUS) - 2008
13.27 Sasha Zhoya (FRA) - 2020
13.29 Andrew Pozzi (GBR) - 2011
13.30 James Gladman (GBR) - 2012
13.30 Lorenzo Perini (ITA) - 2012
Moen clocks 2:09:01 in the Virgin Money London Marathon
At the Virgin Money London Marathon which was held on a lapped course around the perimeter of St. James’ Park, former European record-holder Sondre Nordstad Moen from Norway was the leading European finisher in the men’s race in ninth, clocking 2:09:01 with halfway splits of 63:50 and 65:11.
This was the third fastest time of Moen’s marathon career after his now bettered European record of 2:05:48 from the 2017 Fukuoka Marathon and his 2:06:16 clocking from the Valencia Marathon last year.
Ireland’s Stephen Scullion also broke the 2:10-barrier in eleventh in 2:09:49 to become just the second Irishman to break this barrier after John Treacy. Peter Herzog was also rewarded with an Austrian record of 2:10:06 in 12th.
In the women’s race, Ukraine’s Darya Mykhaylova was the best placer from the European contingent in action. She finished ninth in a lifetime best and Olympic qualifying time of 2:27:29, the only European to break the 2:30-barrier., to move to second place on this year's European list for the classic distance.
Elsewhere around Europe...
Competing for the first time since the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Antonella Palmisano set a world leading 5000m race walk time of 21:00.0 in Tivoli on Saturday (3). The European bronze medallist will compete in the 20km race walk in Podebrady next weekend with the objective of securing the Olympic qualifying standard of 1:31:00.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal missed the majority of the track campaign with injury but she showed good form on the roads in Spikkestad on Sunday (4), setting a world 5km lead and Norwegian best of 15:04. The European 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist is targeting the 5000m and 10,000m at next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.
At the Norwegian Half Marathon Championships in Jessheim on Saturday (3), Marius Vedvik won the men's title in 64:41 and Vienna Dahle won the women's title in 74:16. 18-year-old Adele Henriksen finished third in a national U20 record of 76:31.
The Kosice Peace Marathon took place for the 97th time on Sunday although restrictions meant the field size had to be further reduced from 1000 to 200 and the organisers had to scrap their plans to invite an international elite field. The only non-Slovak to compete yesterday, Czech veteran Petra Pastorova won the women's race in 2:52:11 and Marek Hladik won the men's race in 2:26:08.