Zhoya and Rogers among athletes to impress with national title wins

Sasha Zhoya and Camryn Rogers are among the stars to have made a statement during another busy weekend of national championships action, as athletes work towards the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.

Racing at the French Championships in Albi on Saturday (29), world U20 record-holder Zhoya clocked 13.01 to win the 110m hurdles, the wind marginally over the legal limit at 2.3m/s. The 21-year-old held off Wilhem Belocian (13.07) and Just Kwaou-Mathey (13.19) to retain the title.

“It's starting to progress, for my second year in the (senior height) hurdles at 106cm,” said Zhoya, who also ran 13.01 in the heats but with a 5.3m/s tailwind, in an interview with the French Athletics Federation. “I think I still have a little time to go under 13 seconds. It could have been possible today, but the too favourable wind didn't help, because it brought me closer to the hurdles.”

The women’s 100m hurdles was also incredibly close as world indoor champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela returned to form to win in 12.68 from Laeticia Bapte (12.69), both women setting lifetime bests.

Elsewhere in Albi, Makenson Gletty won the decathlon with a PB of 8269, a series which included a 400m PB of 48.44 and a heave of 16.02m in the shot put.

Wilfried Happio claimed his fifth consecutive 400m hurdles title ahead of Ludvy Vaillant, 48.72 to 48.84, while Jules Pommery won the men’s long jump, leaping a wind-aided 8.12m (2.4m/s) to take the title with his final attempt. There was a third outdoor national pole vault win for Margot Chevrier, who cleared 4.61m on her third attempt to triumph ahead of Ninon Chapelle (4.51m).

On the first day of the championships on Friday, Melina Robert-Michon threw 62.69m to secure her 22nd national discus title. Mouhamadou Fall won his fourth 100m title in 10.14 (-0.3m/s) and Jimmy Gressier won the 5000m in 13:23.56.

Rogers sets championship record

World silver medallist Rogers broke the championship record to win the women’s hammer on the second day of the Canadian Championships in Langley on Friday.

The 24-year-old, who improved the national record to 78.62m in Los Angeles in May, this time threw 77.43m to win by almost 12 metres. She backed up her winning throw with marks of 76.72m and 75.75m.

“Today was a great day,” she told Athletics Canada. “We’ve been working really hard all season but especially in the last few meetings heading to the World Championships and so being able to come here today and again break the championship record is really exciting. To get back over 77 metres is also very exciting. It makes me really pumped up for the last meeting of the season (World Championships).”

The new Canadian Championship record set by Camryn Rogers - 77.43m 🇨🇦💥

Le nouveau record du Championnat canadien établi par @Camryn_Throws - 77,43m 🇨🇦💥

📸 by Kyle Llamas pic.twitter.com/CPuweqAc7a

— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) July 29, 2023

Also among the winners on Friday was Aaron Brown, who claimed his 11th national sprint title by clocking 10.08 (0.9m/s) to win the 100m. Brendon Rodney was second in 10.12.

On Saturday, Ethan Katzberg won the men's hammer with a PB of 78.73m, while Alysha Newman cleared 4.73m to claim the pole vault title and Sarah Mitton threw 19.69m to win the women's shot put.

Regan Yee won the women’s 3000m steeplechase on Thursday in a PB of 9:24.82, while Ben Flanagan took the men’s 5000m title in 13:39.36.

Nowicki throws 79.96m

Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki went head-to-head with five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek in the men’s hammer at the Polish Championships on Friday and won, throwing 79.96m to Fajdek’s season’s best of 78.10m. Multiple Olympic and world champion Anita Wlodarczyk claimed another national title, winning the women’s event with 70.91m.

After winning the 400m in 51.86 on Friday, Natalia Kaczmarek returned to the track on Saturday to take the 200m title in a PB of 22.86 (1.4m/s) in wet conditions.

Racing into a 1.2m/s headwind, Ewa Swoboda won the 100m title in 11.08, while Pia Skrzyszowska won the 100m hurdles in 12.94 (0.1m/s) and Damian Czykier the 110m hurdles in 13.57 (0.3m/s).

At the Czech Championships in Tabor, Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch won the javelin by more than 10 metres, throwing 84.68m. World record-holder Barbora Spotakova, who has come out of retirement for a short stint of competitions this season, was second in the women’s event with 57.13m, behind winner Petra Sicakova (58.60m).

On the track, Ondrej Macik broke the national record to win the men’s 200m in 20.39. In a competitive women’s 400m final, Lada Vondrova equalled her PB of 51.13 to take the title from teenager Lurdes Gloria Manuel, who set a national U20 record of 51.23.

Barontini takes Italian 800m crown

Simone Barontini won a high-quality 800m final at the Italian Championships in Molfetta.

The 2021 European U23 champion produced a lifetime best of 1:44.50 to win from Catalin Tecuceanu (1:45.04) and Francesco Pernici, who set a PB of 1:45.23 for third place.

The men’s shot put was also highly competitive between Leonardo Fabbri and Zane Weir. Fabbri took an early lead with 20.64m, but Weir moved into the lead with 20.82m in round two. Both men improved in the next round, Fabbri regaining the lead with 21.63m and Weir throwing 21.23m. Fabbri improved to 21.80m – the eventual winning mark – in round five and Weir responded with 21.69m in round six before Fabbri rounded out his series with 21.67m.

Ayomide Folorunso produced one of the highlights on the track as she broke her own Italian record to win the 400m hurdles in 54.22. Rebecca Sartori was second (55.05).

In other hurdles action, Sarah Lavin battled a 5.5m/s headwind to win her ninth national 100m hurdles title in 13.13 at the Irish Championships in Dublin on Saturday. At the Finnish Championships in Lahti, Reetta Hurske clocked 12.85 to regain the title.

Mujinga Kambundji won the Swiss 100m crown in 11.05 (0.9m/s) ahead of Salome Kora (11.26) and at the Ukrainian Championships in Lutsk, Mykhaylo Kokhan threw 78.47m to win the men’s hammer, while Iryna Gerashchenko cleared 1.97m on her first attempt to win the women's high jump ahead of Yuliia Levchenko with 1.95m.