He is Australian. Born here - but to parents with other citizenships.

Until very recently this has been of little importance but with a new year beginning in which he can compete in the world under 20 championships and potentially even the Olympic Games, the time came for Zhoya to make a call.

Under World Athletics regulations an athlete with multiple citizenships from birth has simply to declare for which they will compete in international competition.

Thereafter they must wait three years from their last representation if they wish to change their mind.

Zhoya has opted for France for which he has a passport through his mother rather than his country or birth.

He could have also chosen for Zimbabwe for which he could have competed through paternal citizenship.

Normally this would not have been a topic of much discussion.

In a multi-cultural nation such as Australia a high proportion of the population has citizenship of more than one nation - as out politicians discovered to their detriment.

And there are way more Australians who represent in international sport than get elected to our national parliament.

But Zhoya is no normal talent.

At 15 he pocketed a handy $13,500 when he won one of Australia's three most prominent footraces - Adelaide's Bay Sheffield.

He ran from a handicap of 5m - no leg up for an already emerging star.

He was by then making his mark in a range of other track and field events including the 200 metres, sprint hurdles, long jump and pole vault.

There are no official world records for the under 18 age group but World Athletics recognises all time bests for the age group.

Zhoya is number one in both the 110m hurdles and pole vault.

He holds the Australian under 16 and under 18 national records in both.

Until 2019, Zhoya had trained and competed exclusively in Australia.

He has been a scholarship holder with the Western Australia Institute of Sport and received high level coaching through the national pole vault centre in Perth.

But the opportunity was one too good on which the French authorities could pass up.

There were invitations to compete in France and to attend coaching sessions with the European nation's best mentors. Off track there were guest commentary roles on French television, lunch with Prince Albert of Monaco and passes to VIP rooms at sports events.

The portents gradually became less encouraging for Australia but manifested even more strongly in early December when Zhoya opted to take part in his school's end of year production rather than the National All Schools Championships even though they were in his home town of Perth.

And yes there was even some logic to that. As it happens he is a talent in dance as well having attended a specialist performing arts secondary school.

Predictably there are now claims that Australian sporting authorities did not do enough to ensure such a talent competed in the green and gold.

But as the country of primary residence and athlete activity Athletics Australia, the Australian Olympic Committee and Sport Australia were in an invidious position if they are to enter any arms race to keep a particular talent who is looking elsewhere.

For a start every other athlete across all sports at a similar performance level, their parents and support teams would be asking - why not me?

For sure there would be a way bigger outcry than the one that now expresses disappointment with the loss of his talent.

And in reality Australia has done plenty to enable an undoubted talent to put himself in a position at a tender age where another nation is offering way more than trinkets to get him on board.

Think of the system that has provided coaching support and expertise, the volunteer officials who turned up to every competition in which Zhoya learned his craft and one of the best competition platforms for teenage athletes in the world from which they can strut their stuff.

Until now France has done little apart from investing in an apparently successful wooing exercise.

Records

February 23, 2019: broke the cadet France record for pole vaulting at the French Cadet and Junior Championships (5.32m).

April 1, 2019: at the Australian Cadet and Junior Championships, best cadet world performance in pole vault (5.56m).