Hurdle star Jason Joseph is looking forward to the World Cup: “I would have liked to run faster”

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Sunday afternoon, St. Gallen Athletics Center. While people are already fighting for hundredths and centimeters in the competition hall at the Swiss athletics championships, Jason Joseph (25) from Basel casually walks into the warm-up hall. A high five here, a handshake there. The hurdler’s aura immediately fills the room.

As he completes his warm-up for the semi-final of the 60 m hurdles, a blonde woman with her two children looks for a place with a good view in the seating area in the competition area – Claudine Müller (43), former heptathlete, now sports scientist and trainer from Joseph. When asked how much time Jason would spend that day, Müller responded with a shrug and a mischievous smile. To say later: “A quick one.” Müller is not a woman of many words.

The trainer knows that things can be better

Then Joseph enters the competition arena for his first hurdle sprint. To warm up, sprint two or three times over three 106-centimeter-high obstacles with cat-like flexibility and agility. After the semi-final the clock showed 7.47 seconds – the fifth best time of the year worldwide.

Satisfied? Müller smiles at the bratwurst stand. “Numbers mean nothing to me,” she says. “Yes, Jason managed to run neatly from the starting block to the first obstacle, otherwise he often has difficulty with that.” The trainer knows that things can be better.

Then the time has come. Last. Joseph is sandwiched in the starting block between Mathieu Jaquet and Simon Ehammer, who has made it known that he wants to irritate Joseph as long as possible. Said and done. With a lightning start, Ehammer forces Joseph into the defense. The Basel resident immediately fumbles at the first hurdle.

Next up for Joseph is the World Indoor Championships

But then the Basel resident zooms past his opponents like an airplane. 7.43 seconds – two hundredths above the Swiss record, third best time of the year worldwide. “I would have liked to run faster,” he said during the on-site interview. “I can do it, but maybe I felt too good. But of course I’m happy that I’m having a good time. But I haven’t seen a run here yet that makes me say, ‘Wow, that’s it.’

The first weekend of March he can happily unpack it at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Because indoor competitions suit Jason Joseph. Especially since last year’s European Indoor Championships in Istanbul. He won European Championship gold with a time of 7.41 seconds. His first major coup at global level after winning European championship titles in the U20 and U23 over 110m hurdles.

Joseph is certainly not afraid of the triple burden in 2024 with the World Indoor Championships, the European Outdoor Championships in Rome and the Olympic Games in Paris. For him, these are three opportunities to show great wow runs.

Source : Blick