Switzerland holds its first title in these 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Jason Joseph ascended to the European throne on Wednesday evening in the 110m hurdles. The Basel native won in 13”12 ahead of the Frenchman Just Kwaou-Mathey (13”20), huge favorite of the competition, and the Pole Jakub Szymanski (13”26).
European champion in the 60m indoor hurdles in 2023, Jason Joseph won the first outdoor title of his career on Wednesday. In 2024, he won the bronze medal at the Europeans in Rome.
“I was able to complete my race until the end and exploit all my potential,” said Jason Joseph, at the SRF microphone, after the race. Achieving your best performance of the season at the European Championships is exactly what we are looking for. And it’s all the more beautiful to win this way. This experience that I have acquired will help me enormously in the future.”
The Basel resident will, however, have to wait a little before fully celebrating obtaining his gold medal. “I might have to stay ready a little longer for the relay,” he joked. I have to recover, and then we will celebrate, at the latest at home.”
Jason Joseph will have the opportunity to share this medal with the Swiss public at the end of the summer. He will indeed participate in Athletissima in Lausanne (Friday August 21) and the Weltklasse in Zurich (Thursday August 27), where he will, without a doubt, be one of the attractions of these two evenings due to his new status as European champion.
Currently, Switzerland has two medals in these European Championships. Simon Ehammer won silver in the long jump.
