2023-07-29 23:27:00
Sasha Zhoya triumphant and Pascal Martinot-Lagarde “at the bottom of the hole”: opposite destinies on 110 m hurdles for the promise of tricolor athletics and one of its pillars for many years at the French Championships, Saturday in Albi. The image is striking in the corridors of the Albigensian stadium: when Zhoya, bulging chest, answers questions from journalists with microphones held out to him, Martinot-Lagarde, barely three meters away, bursts into tears, overtaken by a capital disillusionment.
A few moments earlier, the first, 21 years old, had just retained the title of French champion in the 110m hurdles in a canon time, 13″01, even carried by an excessively favorable wind of 2.3 m/s, above above 2 m/s maximum, making it the fifth best performer of the year without taking wind conditions into account.
The second, ten years older, spearhead of the discipline for ten years, European and world multi-medallist, still vice-champion of Europe a year ago in Munich, finds himself ejected from the national podium despite his best time of the year, in 13.25. Beyond Zhoya, the 110m hurdles final was high-flying as a whole, since the three medal-winning hurdlers ran in less than 13 sec 2/10e, with Wilhem Belocian second in 13″07 and Just Kwaou-Mathey third in 13″19.
“One day, the world record”
A year ago, precisely on the day of his 20th birthday, for his first summer in the big leagues, the Franco-Australian had rocketed in 13″17 in Caen, which remains his personal record for the moment. The recent European champion hopes (13″22 in the final) imagined then under 13 seconds “with a year more in the legs”. “I keep my title, it’s nice, I hope it continues like this every year”, appreciates Zhoya.
Faced with the inevitable expectations that will surround him in Budapest, even before the 2024 Olympics in Paris, “there is pressure because people want me to go fast, but it’s good pressure”, believes he. “Me, I want to take the French record, and one day, the world record”, aims the native of Perth. “But I’m still young in the ‘game’, I have to gain experience.”
“PML” wants to bounce back at Paris 2024
This result will cost “PML”, unless there is a twist, a selection for the Worlds in Budapest in three weeks (August 19-27), since there are only three sesames for four contenders. Definitely a shock.
“It’s a huge, huge disappointment because I have zero excuses, he says. (…) I feel that I did not respond enough. I raised my level to a level French while the others have raised it to a medal-winning level (worldwide). It’s been ten years since you’ve seen me with the France team jersey and there, I’ll be at home on the sofa, laments Martinot- Lagarde. It’s a page that turns.”
The 31-year-old athlete continues. “I have to tell myself it’s lucky and I’m going to come back stronger next year. If I let the bad thoughts take hold – ‘you’re old, the youth is stronger, that’s well, get out of here -… I refuse to tell myself. In any case, not this year, not before the Games. I’m a fighter. (…) I’m going to have the fangs, he continues. There, I’m not hiding from you that I’m at the bottom of the hole.”
Happio retains 400m hurdles title
In the other events of the day, the duel over 400m hurdles between Wilfried Happio and Ludvy Vaillant, both among the ten best performers in the world for the summer season, turned in favor of the former, victorious in 48″72, twelve hundredths ahead of his rival (48″84).
Gabriel Tual was crowned over 800m (1’47″84) in the absence of Benjamin Robert, Margot Chevrier in the pole vault (4.61m), and Jules Pommery in the length (8.12m).
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