For many, the Grand Slam Track on April 4 wasn’t just another event. No, it was straight up a ticket to a better life. After all, just where else will you get a hundred grand for winning one event? So, it’s no wonder that track and field athletes all around the world brought their A-game to Kingston. But one among them was a bit too good. Bagging a silver and a gold with record-breaking speeds, the youngster was simply blistering. But while the folks in attendance were in awe, for the young man, this race was something much more than winning. No, it was about survival and sacrifices. But who is he?

Well, the young sensation is none other than Sasha Zhoya. The French-Zimbabwean speedster was hellbent on winning. And with a gold in the 100 mH with a blistering run of 10.55 seconds, he very much achieved that. But behind the sprint spikes, behind the calm stare in the blocks and the effortless finish line lean, was a decision few saw coming. Sasha’s biggest move didn’t happen on the track; it happened in private.

While others would cash in after a meet like that, Zhoya made a different call. The young track and field champion was already determined for a different cause. He turned down a $100,000 appearance fee tied to another international event, choosing instead to fulfill a promise made long before the world ever knew his name. His reason? It all comes back to one person, his mother, who was revealed on X by a user.

A viral tweet captured the moment perfectly: “People! Mi love how Grandslam really just ah mek people happy.” The clip showed Sasha Zhoya, fresh off his race, declaring with a smile that the very first thing he’s doing is buying his mom an apartment. “Family is critical. I wouldn’t be here today, the man that I am today, if it weren’t for my mom.” For Sasha, that statement isn’t a cliché. It’s the foundation of everything.

Zhoya’s rise isn’t just personal. It’s spiritual. It’s a legacy story shaped by resilience and a mother’s belief. “Even if she gave me a hard time growing up, as moms do. That’s what built me as a strong man today.” But Sasha’s strength goes beyond muscle. It’s in his mindset. In the moments before he exploded out of the blocks in Jamaica, he wasn’t thinking about pressure or podiums.

He was thinking about giants. “Before the blocks, I was thinking about the greatest that have come through here. I was thinking about Shellyann. I was thinking about Usain.” It’s no small thing. In 2008, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the first Black Caribbean woman to win Olympic gold in the 100 meters, blazing a path for every dreamer after her. And Bolt? Olympic legend. The only man to win the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m in three straight Games. Their greatness was embedded in the track beneath him.

Sasha didn’t just want to run on it. He wanted to honor it. That’s why this performance mattered. It wasn’t about being seen. It was about living up to a legacy. “I’m just doing what I always wanted to do as a kid. So I’m just so happy and so thankful.” When he crossed the finish line, silver medal in hand and 20 points locked in from his earlier win, Sasha wasn’t thinking about contracts or bonuses. He was thinking about home. This journey came full circle. Not with fireworks, but with fulfillment.

From ballet slippers to hurdles, the mother who sculpted a track champion

Every stride Sasha Zhoya takes isn’t just the result of raw talent. It’s a tribute to years of intentional choices and unwavering sacrifice. That $100K appearance fee he turned down? To him, it wasn’t even a question. “Especially growing up, she was a single parent. So you know, for a female to raise such a strong man, she has to be a strong woman,” Sasha said in the X video.

That woman is Catherine Larbiose-Zhoya, and her strength has been the blueprint of Sasha’s entire career. Catherine has always been her son’s loudest cheerleader and sharpest strategist. From a young age, Sasha dabbled in almost every sport under the sun. Soccer, swimming, horse riding, basketball, ice skating, and hockey. But it was through his older sister, Munashe, that track and field first captured his heart.

“Everything I have right now, all my success, is because of her,” he shared with World Athletics back in 2021. By age 8 or 9, the speedster had started formal training. With none other than his mom as his first coach. And her plan wasn’t just to make him faster. It was to make him versatile. Catherine even put him in ballet classes, knowing it would shape his movement and control.

Her mission didn’t stop at creative movement. In 2017, Catherine brought Sasha to her hometown in Clermont-Ferrand, France, to expand his training in pole vault under coach Philippe d’Encausse. At just 15, Sasha began splitting time between Australia and France, a logistical challenge that laid the foundation for his international rise. That leap of faith bore fruit in 2019 when he shattered the U18 French pole vault record at 5.32m.

But that was just the start. Why? Well, he then stunned the world again the very next day by matching the U18 world best in the 60m hurdles during his first-ever race in that event. Catherine didn’t go it alone; she brought in elite coaches like Lindsay Bunn, Francois Juillard, Dimitri Demoniere, and Ladji Doucouré. But she never stepped away from the driver’s seat. And now, with Sasha’s performance at the Grand Slam Track, one thing is clear: behind every breathtaking performance is the woman who built him for it.