Jason Joseph is European 110 metres hurdles champion in 13.12

Jason Joseph is the new European champion in the 110 metres hurdles. The Basel athlete won the final at the European Championships in Birmingham on Wednesday evening in 13.12. It is the fourteenth gold medal Switzerland has won in the history of the continental championships, held since 1934.

Two years ago in Rome, Joseph finished third in a race won by Italy's Lorenzo Simonelli in 13.14. His route to this title was complicated by a thigh muscle injury in June, which forced him to delay his preparation by three weeks.

Semi-final and final on the same evening

In the semi-final the Basel athlete won his heat in 13.38, keeping his composure through a difficult moment in the race. One of the favourites, Belgium's Bacari, struck the seventh hurdle hard while leading and fell right beside him. Joseph was not thrown off and secured his place in the final, scheduled a couple of hours later at 10.47 p.m.

The final stayed close until halfway. In the second half Joseph imposed his acceleration and crossed the line ahead of France's Kwaou-Mathey, second in 13.16, and Poland's Szymanski, third in 13.26. His margin over second place was four hundredths of a second.

The result carries particular weight in Swiss athletics, where European gold medals remain rare and concentrated in a few disciplines. At the same championships Switzerland is also following the women's 800 metres, where Audrey Werro qualified for the final after an appeal was upheld following a collision in the semi-final.

For Joseph the title comes after years in which he was already firmly among the best on the continent over the distance, without ever reaching the top step in an international outdoor final.